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In Pursuit

delete2020-05-30
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PRE
AI
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Inez Fung *
DOI:10.1146/annurev-earth-072519-055956delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
The atmosphere is the synthesizer, transformer, and communicator of exchanges at its boundaries with the land and oceans. These exchanges depend on and, in turn, alter the states of the atmosphere, land, and oceans themselves. To a large extent, the interactions between the carbon cycle and climate have mapped, and will map, the trajectory of the Earth system. My quest to understand climate dynamics and the global carbon cycle has been propelled by new puzzles that emerge from each of the investigations and has led me to study subdisciplines of Earth science beyond my formal training. This article sketches my trek and the lessons I have learned. About half the CO2 emitted from combustion of fossil fuels and from cement production has remained airborne. Where are the contemporary carbon sinks? To what degree will these sinks evolve with, and in turn accelerate, climate change itself? The pursuit of these questions has been propelled by the integration of in situ and satellite observations of the atmosphere, land, and oceans, as well as by advances in theory and coupled climate-carbon cycle modeling. The urgency of climate change demands new approaches to crosscheck national emission statistics.
Keywords:
carbon sources
carbon sinks
climate forcing and feedbacks
ecosystem functions
Earth interactions
climate treaty verification
autobiography

Journal

No journal information available

Organization

University of California System cover
University of California System
Scholars:
37.5W
Papers: 33.7W
Citations: 6.6K