A Nasa satellite revealed seasonal peaks of CO2 emissions around the globe

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AFP

Thursday, 12 October 2017 14:52

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Thursday, 12 October 2017 14:52

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A Nasa satellite reveals seasonal peaks in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) around the globe and the increased levels of pollutants that contribute to global warming.

The results of five studies published Thursday in the journal Science, are based on data collected by the satellite “Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 or OCO-2, launched by the u.s. space agency in 2014.

The objective of this program is to examine the circulation and evolution in the atmosphere of CO2 produced by the combustion of fossil fuels.

“These data reveal a refreshing change to the carbon cycle in the northern hemisphere depending on the season, including a net increase of CO2 in the atmosphere in the spring from the terrestrial vegetation”, leading one of these searches.

“But during the winter, the production of CO2 by plants is minimal, and the decomposition of plant fuels the production of CO2 when the temperatures heat up. And this combined with the emissions continued from the combustion of coal and hydrocarbons over the China, Europe and the United States explains that the rate of seasonal CO2 to reach the highest levels in April in the northern hemisphere”, stated the scientists.

With the advancement of the spring and summer approaches, the plants begin to absorb new CO2 playing the role of a carbon sink.

Another of these five studies has determined that the equatorial current warm Pacific El Nino, which reappears periodically, has more recently resulted in emissions of CO2 more important in the tropics than in the previous years.

And in 2015, El Nino “caused the emission of about 2.5 billion tonnes more carbon in the atmosphere than in 2011,” during his previous appearance that can last for several years.

According to the researchers, this change is mainly explained by a decrease of precipitation in South America and an increase in temperatures in Africa, a phenomenon that is expected to worsen by the end of the century with global warming.

In tropical Asia, the seasonal increase in CO2 emissions is explained mostly by the combustion of bio-mass.