Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Earth Science News .




BLUE SKY
Philippine typhoon may have 'burped' carbon into the atmosphere
by Staff Writers
College Park, Md. (UPI) Nov 12, 2013


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Typhoon Haiyan may have created a carbon "burp" as it uprooted large swaths of Philippine forest, releasing carbon into the atmosphere, scientists say.

While it is too early to say how much carbon Typhoon Haiyan might have unlocked, calculations for previous tropical storms suggest the amounts could be significant.

A study of Hurricane Katrina found the 2005 storm released more than 100 tons of carbon by uprooting more than 300 million trees when it slammed into the United States -- more than half the amount of carbon absorbed annually by U.S. forests.

Because Haiyan was even stronger and the Philippines have a greater average forest cover than the eastern United States, the carbon release figure could well be higher.

But, paradoxically, tropical cyclones weaker than Haiyan could cause even more carbon release, researchers said; studies of Katrina's wreckage found that the greatest carbon loss occurred in the outer regions of the storm.

"Although the higher wind strengths caused more damage for a given area, the lower wind strengths covered a much larger area," Justin Fisk, a University of Maryland scientist who has done a follow-up study on Katrina, told NewScientist.com. "Because of this, a large, less intense storm can potentially do more damage than a small, more intense storm."

Although forests can recapture carbon as they grow back, it depends on the speed of re-growth and on how frequently any one region can expected to experience tropical storms, scientists said.

.


Related Links
The Air We Breathe at TerraDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








BLUE SKY
Study Finds Climate Link to Atmospheric-River Storms
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 11, 2013
A new NASA-led study of atmospheric-river storms from the Pacific Ocean may help scientists better predict major winter snowfalls that hit West Coast mountains and lead to heavy spring runoff and sometimes flooding. Atmospheric rivers - short-lived wind tunnels that carry water vapor from the tropical oceans to mid-latitude land areas - are prolific producers of rain and snow on Californ ... read more


BLUE SKY
Global aid response gathers pace for Philippines

Mass burial cancelled as Philippines anger turns deadly

UN launches $300m appeal as warships head to Philippines

Obama calls Philippine president in wake of typhoon

BLUE SKY
Altering surface textures in 'counterintuitive manner' may lead to cooling efficiency gains

Methane-munching microorganisms meddle with metals

Researchers at Penn Add Another Tool in Their Directed Assembly Toolkit

NASA Brings Earth Science 'Big Data' to the Cloud with Amazon Web Services

BLUE SKY
Rising sea levels could inundate islands, with loss of biodiversity

LLNL scientists find precipitation, global warming link

Call for Atlantic tuna quotas to be retained

Sea turtle deaths alarming Central America

BLUE SKY
Russia moves detained Arctic activists to St Petersburg

Arrested Greenpeace crew 'moved' to new location

The Arctic ceases to be a 'province'

Search on for oldest antarctic ice in hunt for ancient climate clues

BLUE SKY
South Korea's growing 'kimchi deficit'

NGO asks EU to not buy Paraguay beef over indigenous concerns

Egypt farmers fear water supply threat from Ethiopia dam

Researchers uncover origins of cattle farming in China

BLUE SKY
Typhoon kills 10,000 in one Philippine city: UN

More than 5,000 flee erupting Indonesian volcano

Storm-chaser says Philippines typhoon 'off the scale'

6.6 quake hits off east coast of Russia: USGS

BLUE SKY
Small bag offers solution to Kenyan slum's 'flying toilets'

DR Congo needs rebel reintegration plan: UN

DR Congo, M23 rebels fail to sign peace deal

Christian-Muslim bloodbath devastates Central African Republic

BLUE SKY
Scientists tracking Brazilian wildlife find ancient cave paintings

Study: Humans made sophisticated stone tools earlier than thought

Did hard-wired fear of snakes drive evolution of human vision?

Hair regeneration method is first to induce new human hair growth




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement