New study reveals underestimation of carbon uptake in rivers in arid areas, with global implications.
New study reveals underestimation of carbon uptake in rivers in arid areas, with global implications.
For decades, scientists have generally thought that rivers emit more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, than they take in. But a new analysis of every river network in the contiguous United States — including underrepresented rivers in deserts and shrublands — challenges this assumption, uncovering hints that many Western waterways may be soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The findings were published in Science and led by Taylor Maavara, an aquatic biogeochemist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
“Rivers are one of the most uncertain parts of the global carbon cycle,” explained Maavara. “So in terms of balancing the global carbon budgets, figuring out where the carbon in rivers is coming from and where it's going is essential.”
Read More: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Image: Salt Creek in Death Valley, California. A new analysis reveals that rivers in arid landscapes are helping to soak up more carbon dioxide than previously thought. (Credit: Taylor Maavara)
