• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Outdoors / Study shows ponds help as much as trees in capturing carbon

Study shows ponds help as much as trees in capturing carbon

May 12, 2008 By admin

A study by an Iowa State University lake scientist finds small ponds play a big role in absorbing carbon from the air. Researcher John Downing says his findings go against what had been the conventional wisdom on the subject. Downing says people have assumed that because ponds are small, they don’t have much impact, but he says ponds are so active that they could be burying as much carbon as the world’s oceans, each year.

Downing says the rate the ponds work on the process is the key. He says they are running 10 to 100 times faster carbon sequestration than grasslands and forests. Downing says ponds get rid of carbon in a couple of ways. Downing says they pick up the carbon through runoff, and the algae in the pounds grab carbon and drop it down into the sediment.

Downing says the ability of ponds to capture carbon wasn’t a totally new idea. He says people have know for centuries that pond and lake sediments can preserve carbon and organic matter for long periods of time, as things like pieces of dead animals and mummies are often found in sediment. Downing says the ability of ponds to absorb carbon is starting to get more recognition.

Downing says some people around the world are talking about using pond construction as a way to gain carbon credits. Downing’s ongoing research will investigate the role of small Iowa lakes in the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other important gases such as methane.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Outdoors Tagged With: Iowa State University

Featured Stories

Exhibit features lesser known works of Grant Wood

Testing finds 21 new CWD cases in deer

It may become a crime in Iowa to use fake urine in workplace drug tests

February trending 18 degrees below average temperature

Iowa House Education Committee votes to end tenure at UI, ISU, UNI

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Jack Nunge lost for the season

Key stretch begins for #9 Iowa

Drake’s Roman Penn lost for the season

Drake’s DeVries named to Naismith watch list

State wrestling opens with limited attendance

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC