Inspenet, July 3, 2023.
Alarming NASA videos reveal how the planet is covered by carbon dioxide that comes mostly from the burning of fossil fuels. The emissions are predominantly in the northern hemisphere, but shift south as time progresses.
NASA videos show the presence of CO 2 on each continent
NASA videos show a dense, billowing fog of carbon dioxide enshrouding Earth over the course of months. These animations, produced by NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio, illustrate the staggering magnitude of human carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions throughout the year 2021, coloring this invisible greenhouse gas.
The animations highlight the CO 2 emissions that contribute to global warming, coming from various human and natural sources, each represented with a different colour. Emissions from burning fossil fuels are shown in shades of orange, while those from burning biomass (such as vegetation burned for agriculture or fires caused by lightning) are shown in red. Carbon dioxide generated by terrestrial ecosystems through plant respiration is represented in green, and emissions released by the oceans are presented in blue.
The model also illustrates how marine and terrestrial ecosystems, such as rainforests and algae in the oceans, absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. These natural ecosystems together absorb half of human emissions each year and play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by acting as carbon “sinks”.
According to NASA scientists, although land and oceans are broadly speaking carbon sinks, in individual locations they can act as sources at different times. The videos show the ebb and flow of CO 2 in various regions of the world, highlighting both emission and absorption areas of the gas over the course of a year.
In one of the animations depicting North and South America, a yellowish-brown cloud gradually forms in the northern hemisphere, showing emissions from fossil fuels and biomass burning. Even at such a broad scale, it is possible to attribute emissions to specific regions.
The scientists also pointed to some interesting features such as fossil fuel emissions along the Northeast Urban Corridor, which stretches from Washington DC to Boston in the United States.
The small green streaks that appear in the cloud represent emissions from terrestrial ecosystems going in and out during the winter months. This is because plants, which absorb CO 2 through photosynthesis during the growing season, release much of this carbon during the winter, the scientists explained in the statement.
In another animation spanning parts of Asia and Australia, China’s fossil fuel emissions are mainly highlighted. Australia, for its part, functions primarily as a carbon sink, as shown by the flashing green dots across most of the country, because its relatively small population emits less CO 2 than its neighbors. Towards the end of the animation, the cloud of fossil fuel emissions from the northern hemisphere moves south and also envelops Australia.
Although not shown in the NASA video, it is important to note that Australia has the highest per capita CO 2 emissions in the world .
The third video focuses on Africa, Europe and the Middle East, where the vast majority of fossil fuel emissions come from Europe and Saudi Arabia. The wispy red clouds seen over central Africa represent emissions caused by fires set to clean up surplus crops.
While carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are the main driver of climate change, fires also contribute to global warming by reducing the ability of terrestrial ecosystems to absorb carbon in the future. This is because charred soils retain less carbon, and fires decrease tree density and size.
Source and photo: https://www.vistaalmar.es/medio-ambiente/cambio-climatico/12194-espeluznantes-videos-nasa-muestran-como-mundo-ahoga-co2.html
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