image: Drawing of root network based on field observations. view more
Credit: Image credit: Courtney Currier (Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ).
A study of belowground net carbon fixation, using satellite data and field observations, estimates the total belowground productivity at 24.7 Petagrams of carbon per year, which accounts for 46% of total terrestrial carbon fixation; additionally, the results show that belowground productivity increases with precipitation, although the rate of increase slows with high precipitation, according to the authors.
Article #20-06715: "Global patterns and climatic controls of belowground net carbon fixation," by Laureano A. Gherardi and Osvaldo E. Sala.
MEDIA CONTACT: Laureano A. Gherardi, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; e-mail: Lau@ASU.edu
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences