See also Carbon sinks. They are known to deplete stratospheric ozone and also are greenhouse gases in that they effectively absorb outgoing infrared radiation in the atmosphere. Denitrification - microorganisms taking nitrogen out of its fixed form in the soil and putting it back into the atmosphere. Emissions - flows of gases, liquid droplets or solid particles into the atmosphere. Gross emissions from a specific source are the total quantity released.
Net emissions are gross emissions minus flows back to the original source.
Plants, for example, take carbon from the atmosphere and store it as biomass during photosynthesis, and they release it during respiration, when they decompose, or when they are burned. An emission inventory has both political and scientific applications. Fossil fuel - coal, petroleum, or natural gas or any fuel derived from them. This phenomenon is popularly known as the greenhouse effect. The effect is responsible for warming the planet.