IPCC Report; Anomalies in the global carbon and biogeochemical cycles and feedbacks
Changes in the climate system are attributed to a number of factors; human induced being at the forefront. These have not been ruled out of the fact that they are significantly interrupting and causing anomalies in the global carbon and biogeochemical cycles.
The carbon cycle, among other cycles has significantly experienced a positive feedback over the recent times, with highly increasing and escalating amounts and concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere; the highest than any other in the last two million years. Atmospheric carondioxide and methane concentrations have rapidly increased since 1750 by 47% and 156% respectively.
The significant rise in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a primary driver accelerating acidification of water sources; oceans, seas and inland waters. The more emissions rise, the less they can be offset by the natural sinks; forests, oceans, seas among others; with higher concentrations causing and accelerating acidification. Additionally in high emission scenarios, loss of major carbon sinks- mangrove and forests would only make the situation worse that land based ecosystems would rather become net sources of emissions rather than sinks. Such scenarios are already being evidenced and witnessed in the Amazon forest.
A further statistical analysis in the report also indicates that between 2010-2019, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from human activities was distributed among three earth systems; 46% retained within the atmosphere, 23% soaked up in the ocean and the remaining 31% was absorbed by land based forest systems and vegetation cover.
Conclusively, changes in the carbon and greenhouse cycles would imply; the earth systems are fast getting super-saturated and are expected to be unable to take up any additional emissions over the next few years if emissions continue to rise faster than normal. Rise in global temperatures is directly proportional to the rate of carbon emissions. This means a continuous increase in greenhouse gas concentrations would progressively lead to a rise in the global temperatures.
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