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Jon Ranson calculates Earth's carbon budget in a warmer world
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11-11-2008 - earth
‘We know that right now, we cannot balance the carbon budget of the Earth.’ – Jon Ranson
Jon Ranson of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center uses NASA’s Terra satellite to study changes in vegetation. Dr. Ranson spoke with EarthSky about Earth’s carbon cycle – which describes the way that carbon, a building block for life, moves from our planet’s atmosphere, land, and oceans into living beings and back again. Disruptions to the carbon cycle are what’s causing global warming in this century.
Our thanks to NASA‘s Terra Mission, helping us better understand and protect our home planet.
Our thanks to:
Jon Ranson
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
Written by Lindsay Patterson
Comments (5)
at 6.20 pm on 11-11-2008 Mike
Just listened to Jon Ranson’s 8 minutes on carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. I’m not so sure about this global warming. Man has cut down the lungs of the earth; i.e. rain forests without replacing the trees to the extent that the last rain forests are having difficulty making oxygen and carbon gases in great enough quantities. Every time I hear or read an article on the subject, I wonder why we are not replacing those rain forests. I also think that global warming (if it’s happening)occurs in cycles. Right now where I live (Wisconsin)forecasters are saying we are going to have a worse winter than we had last year. I was dragging snow off the roof of my house with almost every snow storm time that went by.
Replyat 08.51 am on 11-27-2008 Tim Gamble
Jon,
You are making the common mistake of confusing weather with climate. They are NOT the same thing. For a full explanation, read my blog post on Weather vs. Climate
Replyat 08.56 am on 11-27-2008 Tim Gamble
Sorry. I meant to address my previous post to Mike, not Jon.
Replyat 7.52 pm on 10-23-2009 Benjamin Napier
First, the earth stopped warming in 1998. It is now cooling.
Second, CO2 is required for plant growth. If we could raise the concentration in our atmosphere to 100ppm, we would double plant growth. Warm, wet and more CO2 would be a boon to agriculture and incidently to humans and animals. If we managed to cut CO2 down to 250 ppm, we would severely stunt plant growth. If we cut it to 150ppm, it would stop plant growth. Which, incidently, would kill us and all of the animals on earth because 100% of the carbohydrates we and the animals consume is synthesized by photosynthetic plants from atmospheric CO2.
CO2 is not a pollutant. You are in much mmore danger from governments destroying our economies than from a completely fraudulent global warming spectre. If we cut our energy use, our economy goes in the toilet. No food produced and no way to get it to market. No electricity. No cars. No airplanes. Cities die quickly. Feudalism rears its ugly head. A new dark ages is upon the earth. Millions die. Really.
Replyat 2.49 pm on 11-09-2009 Rob
http://climatedepot.com/a/3689/Australian-PM-Rudd-warns-skeptics-are-too-dangerous-to-ignore-and-are-holding-the-world-to-ransom--Climate-Depot-Responds
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at 6.20 pm on 11-11-2008 Mike
Just listened to Jon Ranson’s 8 minutes on carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. I’m not so sure about this global warming. Man has cut down the lungs of the earth; i.e. rain forests without replacing the trees to the extent that the last rain forests are having difficulty making oxygen and carbon gases in great enough quantities. Every time I hear or read an article on the subject, I wonder why we are not replacing those rain forests. I also think that global warming (if it’s happening)occurs in cycles. Right now where I live (Wisconsin)forecasters are saying we are going to have a worse winter than we had last year. I was dragging snow off the roof of my house with almost every snow storm time that went by.
Reply
at 08.51 am on 11-27-2008 Tim Gamble
Jon,
You are making the common mistake of confusing weather with climate. They are NOT the same thing. For a full explanation, read my blog post on Weather vs. Climate
Reply
at 08.56 am on 11-27-2008 Tim Gamble
Sorry. I meant to address my previous post to Mike, not Jon.
Reply
at 7.52 pm on 10-23-2009 Benjamin Napier
First, the earth stopped warming in 1998. It is now cooling.
Second, CO2 is required for plant growth. If we could raise the concentration in our atmosphere to 100ppm, we would double plant growth. Warm, wet and more CO2 would be a boon to agriculture and incidently to humans and animals. If we managed to cut CO2 down to 250 ppm, we would severely stunt plant growth. If we cut it to 150ppm, it would stop plant growth. Which, incidently, would kill us and all of the animals on earth because 100% of the carbohydrates we and the animals consume is synthesized by photosynthetic plants from atmospheric CO2.
CO2 is not a pollutant. You are in much mmore danger from governments destroying our economies than from a completely fraudulent global warming spectre. If we cut our energy use, our economy goes in the toilet. No food produced and no way to get it to market. No electricity. No cars. No airplanes. Cities die quickly. Feudalism rears its ugly head. A new dark ages is upon the earth. Millions die. Really.
at 2.49 pm on 11-09-2009 Rob
http://climatedepot.com/a/3689/Australian-PM-Rudd-warns-skeptics-are-too-dangerous-to-ignore-and-are-holding-the-world-to-ransom--Climate-Depot-Responds
Reply