SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY
Carbon Storage by Plants Evidently Decreasing
New evidence suggests that the capacity of plants to absorb carbon could be on the decline. As global temperatures have risen in recent decades, the amount of atmospheric carbon being converted into plant biomass has increased. So researchers said this new finding comes as a surprise.
In other environmental news, the issue of how best to protect the Great Lakes from an Asian carp invasion moved into the courtroom last week. Attorneys from five Great Lakes states are arguing in favor of closing Chicago-area shipping locks to stop the carp before they reach Lake Michigan.
And, finally, oceanographers say the amount of plastic floating in patches of the Atlantic and Pacific has remained steady for two decades despite a steep rise in industrial plastic production. They conclude that either people are keeping their trash on land or plastic is going to some unknown destination in the sea.
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