THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE:
In Balance, with a Little Help from the Plants
Pieter P. Tans and James W. C. White
What happens to the carbon dioxide emitted during burning of fossil fuels? It is well known that three reservoirs--the atmosphere, the oceans, and the terrestrial biosphere--constantly exchange large amounts of carbon. In his Perspective, Tans discusses recent findings that support the idea of a biosphere nearly balanced with respect to carbon. The new work highlights the role of terrestrial plants in the global carbon cycle and is expected to result in narrowing uncertainties about the net carbon uptake by oceans.
P. P. Tans is at the Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80303, USA. E-mail: ptans{at}cmdl.noaa.gov. J. W. C. White is at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and the Department of Geology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
