Re: FW: - Climate Change Hearings and the roll(?) of nuclear power

[SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM]

Radsafe:

The long term observations of CO2 concentration in air in the Northern hemisphere [like Muana Loa ? sp?] in Hawaii show a steady increase in mean CO2 concentration over the last 40 or so years with slight dips and rises of a periodic annual nature. 


Each year as terrestrial plants burst into bloom in the spring and photosynthesis increases there is a slight dip in CO2 concentration from which the total photosynthesis of CO2 to fixed carbon in biomass can be estimated.  As net photosynthesis drops with the coming of winter the annual sine-like wave of CO2 concentration goes up. The long term CO2 average has been going up year by year with dramatic net increases in CO2 over the period of all measurements.


Photosynthesis is clearly not keeping up with the growing atmospheric releases of CO2 although it does slow down the increase by a slight amount.


Stewart Farber, MS Public Health

Air Pollution Control

email: radproject@aol.com 

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In a message dated 8/1/02 9:03:06 AM Pacific Daylight Time, RuthWeiner@AOL.COM writes:



> ).  A major question in the whole global climate change discussion is whether the resulting rate of photosynthesis is enough to keep atmospheric CO2 from increasing enough to cause climate change.  Aquatic micro-organisms contribute far more to the earth's photosynthesis than terrestrial plants, including trees.