Soil respiration (RS) represents a large terrestrial source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Global change drivers such as climate warming and nitrogen deposition are expected to alter the terrestrial carbon cycle with likely consequences for RS and its components, autotrophic (RA) and heterotrophic respiration (RH). Here we investigate the impacts of a 3°C soil warming treatment and a 50 kg ha(-1) y(...

The ocean has been shielding the earth from the worst effects of rapid climate change by absorbing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This absorption of CO2 is driving the ocean along the pH gradient towards more acidic conditions. At the same time ocean warming is having pronounced impacts on the composition, structure and functions of marine ecosystems. Warming, freshening (in some ar...

Comprehensive assessment of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) budget of reduced tillage agricultural systems must consider emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), each of which have higher global warming potentials than carbon dioxide (CO2). Tillage intensity may also impact nitric oxide (NO) emissions, which can have various environmental and agronomic impacts. In 2003 and 2004, we us...

[1] The Earth became warmer and cooler during the ice ages along with changes in the Earth’s orbit, but the orbital changes themselves are not nearly large enough to explain the magnitude of the warming and cooling. Atmospheric CO2 also rose and fell, but again, the CO2 changes are rather small in relation to the warming and cooling. So, how did the Earth manage to warm and cool by so much? Her...

Since 1970, vehicle’s exhaust pollutions have received increasing attention as a source of air pollution at both local (human health concerns) and global (global warming) scales. This study mainly discusses diesel and gasoline vehicles because, today, over 90% of vehicles on the road use gasoline and diesel fuels. The major concerns of gasoline exhaust contaminants are carbon monoxide (CO), hyd...

We present a concept for a small satellite mission to make systematic, global observations of night-time lights with spatial resolution suitable for discerning the extent, type and density of human settlements. The observations will also allow better understanding of fine scale fossil fuel CO2 emission distribution. The NASA Earth Science Decadal Survey recommends more focus on direct observati...

Global temperatures have increased by 0.8◦C since instrumental records began, and the last decade has been the warmest. This warming has been closely linked to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations due to human activities. Arctic warming is leading to thinning and disappearance of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean and the increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet. In the last decade the Antarct...

The increase of greenhouse gases (GHG) in which CO2 emissions constitute the principal component, is of major environmental problems of all societies. Economic growth impels intensive use of resources and as a result, more residues and wastes thrown in the nature that could lead to environmental degradation. This article tries to trace the eventual relationship between trade openness and enviro...