|
|
Article: New isotope cluster could lead to better understanding of carbon cycle
- Article from:
- The Hindustan Times
- Article date:
- July 15, 2009
CopyrightCopyright © HT Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
Washington, July. 15 -- A team of researchers has discovered an unexpected concentration of a certain isotopic molecule in parts of the stratosphere that could have implications for understanding the carbon cycle and its response to climate change.
By analyzing samples of air taken from the stratosphere-the layer of Earth's atmosphere that sits between six and 30 miles above the surface-the team found a much higher concentration of 16O13C18O at high latitudes than expected.
The concentration of different isotopes is the result of different processes that carbon dioxide undergoes, such as in photosynthesis.
As such, isotopes act as carbon dioxide "tracers," according to Hagit Affek, an ...