More sunlight! Global study identifies upswing in photosynthesis 2003-2021

Photosynthesis [image credit: Nefronus @ Wikipedia]

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More sunlight generally means higher temperatures, obviously. The most likely reason for more sunlight is fewer clouds in the way. To quote a recent Talkshop post: ‘Earth’s cloud cover is rapidly shrinking and contributing to record-breaking temperatures, according to new research.’ But climate worriers only see bad news in more warmth, and by inference seek to blame human activities for clouds or lack of them.
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Terrestrial plants drove an increase in global photosynthesis between 2003 and 2021, a trend partially offset by a weak decline in photosynthesis—the process of using sunlight to make food—among marine algae, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change.

The findings could inform planetary health assessments, enhance ecosystem management, and guide climate change projections and mitigation strategies, says Phys.org.

Photosynthetic organisms—also known as primary producers—form the base of the food chain, making most life on Earth possible.

Using energy from the sun, primary producers fix, or convert, carbon from the air into organic, or carbon-based, matter. But primary producers also release carbon through a process called autotrophic respiration, which is somewhat akin to breathing.

The rate of carbon gain after accounting for loss through respiration is called net primary production [Talkshop comment: or net primary productivity – see image in link].

“Net primary production measures the amount of energy photosynthetic organisms capture and make available to support nearly all other life in an ecosystem,” said first author Yulong Zhang, a research scientist in the lab of Wenhong Li at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.”
. . .
Satellite insights
Observations from satellites offer continuous perspective on photosynthesis by plants and marine algae called phytoplankton. Specifically, specialized satellite instruments measure surface greenness, which represents the abundance of a green pigment called chlorophyll produced by photosynthetic life.

Computer models then estimate net primary production by combining greenness data with other environmental data, such as temperature, light and nutrient variability.

The authors of the new study used six different satellite-based datasets on net primary production—three for land and three for oceans—for the years from 2003 to 2021. Using statistical methods, they analyzed annual changes in net primary production for land and, separately, for the ocean.

They found a significant increase in terrestrial net primary production, at a rate of 0.2 billion metric tons of carbon per year between 2003 and 2021. The trend was widespread from temperate to boreal, or high-latitude, areas, with a notable exception in the tropics of South America.

Full article here.
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Image: Photosynthesis [credit: Nefronus @ Wikipedia]