Monday, March 01, 2004
El Nino Gives the World Gas
Cows do it. Horses do it. People do it after drinking soda, or while eating a spicy bowl of chili. They all pass gas. So does the Earth, especially during El Nino.
El Nino marks a major warming of the waters along the equator in the Pacific Ocean every 3 to 7 years and is characterized by shifts in "normal" weather patterns. Peruvians call it El Niño, "The Child," because this condition usually takes place around Christmas, celebrating the birth of Christ.
Scientists notice significant changes in the air during an El Nino year. Concentrations of two important greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide, go up significantly. These gases are normally present as the product of burning fossil fuels like gasoline, oil or coal. Many scientists thought the increases in greenhouse gases during El Nino years were likely due to a changing balance of plant growth and death. However, new research is providing a different diagnosis to the source of the Earth's heartburn.
EL Nino Gives Wildfires a License to Burn
Wildfires seem to ignite the geological version of the big belch. During El Nino, vast areas of the tropic regions dry out and become vulnerable to fire. During the 1997/1998 El Nino, wildfires ravaged huge areas in Latin America and Southeast Asia, belching large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane into the air.
"We found that a large part of the [carbon dioxide] increases [were] the result of increased fire activity," said Guido R. van der Werf, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
For the first time, scientists have quantified the amount of greenhouse gases released during the 97/98 El Nino wildfires by combining satellite measurements and direct measurements of the air. They found that fire emissions of greenhouse gases increased across multiple continental regions in 1997-98, including Southeast Asia (60 percent of the global increase), Central and South America (30 percent), and boreal (northern) forests of North America and Eurasia (10 percent).
What's the Big Deal About Extra Gas?
Scientists worry that too much greenhouse gas in the atmosphere could warm the planet. Venus, with an atmosphere comprised of 95 percent carbon dioxide, is an extreme example of a planet with runaway greenhouse gases. The temperature on the planet's surface reaches about 896 degrees Fahrenheit (470 C), hot enough to melt lead. Luckily the Earth's oceans are like stomach medicine, absorbing extra carbon dioxide and preventing a runaway greenhouse effect. Plants are another carbon dioxide absorber, or as scientists call it, carbon sink.
For more information please click on the following link:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/ElNINO_FIRES.html
Article found at the NASA site
Author
Rani Chohan
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Cows do it. Horses do it. People do it after drinking soda, or while eating a spicy bowl of chili. They all pass gas. So does the Earth, especially during El Nino.
El Nino marks a major warming of the waters along the equator in the Pacific Ocean every 3 to 7 years and is characterized by shifts in "normal" weather patterns. Peruvians call it El Niño, "The Child," because this condition usually takes place around Christmas, celebrating the birth of Christ.
Scientists notice significant changes in the air during an El Nino year. Concentrations of two important greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide, go up significantly. These gases are normally present as the product of burning fossil fuels like gasoline, oil or coal. Many scientists thought the increases in greenhouse gases during El Nino years were likely due to a changing balance of plant growth and death. However, new research is providing a different diagnosis to the source of the Earth's heartburn.
EL Nino Gives Wildfires a License to Burn
Wildfires seem to ignite the geological version of the big belch. During El Nino, vast areas of the tropic regions dry out and become vulnerable to fire. During the 1997/1998 El Nino, wildfires ravaged huge areas in Latin America and Southeast Asia, belching large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane into the air.
"We found that a large part of the [carbon dioxide] increases [were] the result of increased fire activity," said Guido R. van der Werf, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
For the first time, scientists have quantified the amount of greenhouse gases released during the 97/98 El Nino wildfires by combining satellite measurements and direct measurements of the air. They found that fire emissions of greenhouse gases increased across multiple continental regions in 1997-98, including Southeast Asia (60 percent of the global increase), Central and South America (30 percent), and boreal (northern) forests of North America and Eurasia (10 percent).
What's the Big Deal About Extra Gas?
Scientists worry that too much greenhouse gas in the atmosphere could warm the planet. Venus, with an atmosphere comprised of 95 percent carbon dioxide, is an extreme example of a planet with runaway greenhouse gases. The temperature on the planet's surface reaches about 896 degrees Fahrenheit (470 C), hot enough to melt lead. Luckily the Earth's oceans are like stomach medicine, absorbing extra carbon dioxide and preventing a runaway greenhouse effect. Plants are another carbon dioxide absorber, or as scientists call it, carbon sink.
For more information please click on the following link:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/ElNINO_FIRES.html
Article found at the NASA site
Author
Rani Chohan
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
