Study Explores the Link Between Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Written by AZoCleantechDec 15 2020
A University of Oklahoma-led interdisciplinary study on a decade-long experiment (1997-2009) at the University of Minnesota found that lower nitrogen levels in soil promoted release of carbon dioxide from soils under high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and could therefore contribute to furthering rising atmospheric greenhouse gases and climate change.
"Soil microorganisms help extract carbon from non-living sources and make the carbon available to living organisms and play an important role in influencing future climate and carbon cycle feedbacks," said Jizhong Zhou, the OU director for the Institute for Environmental Genomics, a George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, and an adjunct professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering.