Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by theparanoid on Saturday April 22, 2017 @05:07PM
(#14174811)
Most plants use the C3 fixation cycle and are relatively CO2 limited. Maize uses the more efficient C4 fixation cycle.
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by whyenot on Saturday April 22, 2017 @08:53PM
(#14175795)
Most plants are nitrogen limited not CO2 limited.
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by jes5199 on Saturday April 22, 2017 @05:59PM
(#14175065)
this is interesting- where can I read more?
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by shouldbworking on Saturday April 22, 2017 @04:33PM
(#14174596)
I read that the era of nuclear testing noticably decreased surface temperatures for some time. If we can't figure anything else out we could probably settle for blowing up a bunch of cleanish lead wrapped nukes out in the ocean every couple months? It sounds terrible but if done right it would have little impact to life on earth
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by monk_e_boy on Saturday April 22, 2017 @04:39PM
(#14174635)
"The view that some scientists have that we need to manipulate the planet in order to fix it is another one that bothers me. We need to be wary of false solutions like geoengineering. I’ve just read a paper that outlines plans to pump cold water into the Arctic to try and refreeze the ice-cap. It’s totally mad! This old style of thinking believes the Earth operates like a machine, but that’s not how natural systems operate."
10 Things You’ve Always Wanted to Ask an Environmental Scientist -- https://medium.com/greenpeace/10-things-youve-always-wanted-...
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by hyperbovine on Saturday April 22, 2017 @05:20PM
(#14174874)
Not researching geoengineering is at least as dangerous as attempting it. Geoengineering is definitely going to be attempted--nay, ordered--long before Manhattan, Mumbai, Shanghai, etc. are under a foot of water. Whatever we've managed to figure out, no matter how stupid a solution it might be, is what's going to get tossed at this problem by the same ignorant politicians that got us into this mess. So we might as well make it a good one.
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by mikeash on Saturday April 22, 2017 @04:36PM
(#14174620)
That seems unlikely. Nukes are pretty small on the scale of the earth. Things like plutonium concentration went up significantly because the natural level is so low, but I doubt they did much for aerosols.
A clean nuke detonated over the ocean would do nothing. The whole point would be to produce vast amounts of dust i.e. be dirty.
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by nonbel on Saturday April 22, 2017 @07:08PM
(#14175399)
These geoengineering ideas sound more dangerous every time I read them... At some point, if it hasn't happened already, this is going to become a dangerous cult that threatens our species.
You really believe this? We should blow up nuclear bombs in the ocean every few months to avoid a possible temperature rise an order of magnitude smaller than experienced during the yearly cycle.
Re:We Just Breached the 410 PPM Threshold for CO2
by orange_fritter on Saturday April 22, 2017 @05:27PM
(#14174908)
The era of nuclear testing did significantly increase the amount of background radiation in the world. There is not a form of above-ground nuclear explosion that will not have worldwide environmental impacts.
Imagine, for example, if the oxygen concentration was increasing instead. Would you expect humans to multiply faster and reach a new equilibrium because of it?
Concentrations have indeed been much higher in the deep past. The concern isn't destroying all life, it's damaging or destroying civilization.
There are theoretical techniques for blocking solar heat. It remains to be seen how effective or practical they would be in the real world. There is a lot of potential for unintended consequences.