Amazon Source of Five-Year-Old River Breath
The rivers of South America’s Amazon basin are “breathing” far harder — cycling the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide more quickly — than anyone realized.
Most of the carbon being exhaled — or outgassed — as carbon dioxide from Amazonian rivers and wetlands has spent a mere 5 years sequestered in the trees, other plants and soils of the surrounding landscape, U.S. and Brazilian researchers report in the July 28 issue of Nature – among the world’s most prestigious scientific journals.
It had been hoped that regions such as the nearly 2.4 million-square-mile Amazon River basin — where tropical forests rapidly gulp carbon dioxide during photosynthesis — were holding onto that carbon for decades, even centuries, says Emilio Mayorga, University of Washington oceanographer and lead author of the Nature piece with Anthony Aufdenkampe of the Stroud Water Research Center in Pennsylvania.
As policy makers turn increasingly to carbon-credit trading as a means of grappling with the impacts of human-induced climate change, knowing how much carbon can be stored — and where and for how long — is critical, the authors say.
Hats on for W.B. Dixon Stroud
As a tribute to founder, W. B. Dixon Stroud, Emery and Josh Taylor have donated the cost to embroider the initials, WBDS, on the back of our Stroud Water Research Center logo caps. The caps are usually only given to staff, interns and volunteers, and are not normally offered to the general public. However, to honor Dick Stroud during the year following his passing, we will offer these limited edition caps for the public to purchase until April 15, 2006.
They are available online only and will be $9.00 plus shipping and handling.
Fall Events
September 25
Sign up now for the 5K Run and 1 mile Family Fun Walk for Fresh Water
Sponsored by the First National Bank of Chester County and Trail Creek Outfitters
Race day registration begins at 12:00 noon. Race start time: 1:00 pm
Pre-registration until 9/21/05 $12. Race Day registration $15
T-shirts, prizes, food!
October 15
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Tree Vitalize!
Come help us plant 4800 trees at the Stroud Preserve in West Chester, as part of the PA DEP 5 county program in the Philadelphia region.
October 21
Save the Date for sustainable designer, William McDonough, at “The Water’s Edge”
Invitations mailed to all “Friends of the Stroud Water Research Center” in September.
