Scientists who analyzed satellite images of vegetation growth between 1982 and 1998 found significant increases in North America. Most of the new growth occurred in the managed forests in the Southeast and croplands and grasslands on the central plains. Since plants take up carbon dioxide, one of the most prevalent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, researchers think that increasing the amount of trees and plants can help pull carbon out of the air. Results of the new study will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union this week in Boston. This study helps with our understanding.
Carbon sinks are storage areas for carbon.
The atmosphere and oceans are large carbon sinks. Most atmospheric scientists think that carbon in the atmosphere, however, contributes to global warming by trapping heat around the Earth. But Compton Tucker, senior earth scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, warns that more vegetation isn't a solution to global warming. It warms up and the plants start growing earlier. When plants grow they pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.