Rivers Form Larger Component Of Global Carbon Cycling Than Previously Thought
In the science world, media and our daily lives, the debate continues over how carbon in the atmosphere is affecting global climate change. In a study of how organic carbon is processed in rivers, a research team including an engineer, ecologists and microbiologists has determined that carbon processing in rivers is a bigger component of global carbon cycling than previously thought. In rivers, carbon is both transformed and consumed. Microorganisms like algae take carbon out of the atmosphere and incorporate it into their own cells, while bacteria eat dead organic matter and then release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.