See other Science/Tech Articles
Title: Earth’s acid coming from nature
Source:
[None]
URL Source: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20121101-22989.html
Published: Jan 18, 2012
Author: staff
Post Date: 2012-01-18 05:10:26 by Tatarewicz
Keywords: None
Views: 159
Comments: 2
Satellites showing that nature is responsible for 90 per cent of the earth’s atmospheric acidity shocked researchers from the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, whose findings have just been published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Stunned, the scientists approached a team from the University of Wollongong’s Centre of Atmospheric Chemistry (CAC) to confirm what satellite readings were telling them. By providing data from a ground-based solar Fourier transform spectrometer instrument at the University, CAC used 15-years worth of information to verify the satellite’s story: all existing global models had substantially misjudged the main source of formic acid levels on earth – its forests. UOW Physical Chemistry lecturer Dr Clare Murphy (Paton-Walsh) made the first measurements of formic acid with the instrument as part of her PhD looking at the atmospheric emissions of bushfires. “The instrument provides a spectral record, of which you can analyse for a whole number of different gases, and formic acid is one that is relatively new,” Dr Murphy said. “The modelling shows, particularly, that natural forest emissions have been highly underestimated. Our forest areas are producing more formic acid than we ever thought,” she said. Dr Murphy said the unexpected results might well mean forests are responsible for most of the acidity in rainwater in areas other than highly-polluted inner-cities. “Our instrumentation has global significance because the number of facilities in the region are very limited. In order to capture some of the major forests of the Southern Hemisphere this machine was crucial,” she said. In the atmosphere, formic acid impacts a number of important pH-sensitive chemical reactions such as the production and loss of radicals affecting the ozone. Quickly absorbed by microbes, formic acid is not associated with the harmful effects of acid rain. According to CAC coordinator and co-contributor Professor David Griffith, the results provide a whole new angle to existing knowledge about our atmosphere. “When it comes to understanding the fundamental chemistry that goes on and the whole oxidiative cycle, where formic acid has an important impact is that it is one component of the soup which controls the ability of the atmosphere to oxidise pollutants and get rid of them,” Professor Griffith said. “Normally you take your measurements and might make a 10 or 20 per cent adjustment to an estimate of a source but here we’ve proven by several factors that our understanding was wrong,” he said. The study showed that terrestrial vegetation accounts for 90 per cent of annual formic acid production. Other sources include fossil fuel combustion, agriculture and biomass burning. Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
Nature hasn't had any serious competition since the Dead stopped touring.
This defies logic considering the age of the planet and the increasing deforestation that has taken place over the last 100 years. It makes more sense to assume that deforestation has contributed to higher formic acid production, since the forests are the lungs of the planet. Fossil fuel combustion, agriculture and biomass burning have likely given our remaining forests a form of lung cancer. It is vital to understand that there is no truth without discernment and no wisdom without the truth. What then is “faith” but an effort to confound truth and wisdom?
nature is responsible for 90 per cent of the earth’s atmospheric acidity
#2. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
Dr Murphy said the unexpected results might well mean forests are responsible for most of the acidity in rainwater in areas other than highly-polluted inner-cities.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest