Some Recent Scientific Accomplishments in Observing and Understanding Changes in Land Cover and in Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems

• Long term experiments at specific locations suggest that soil carbon losses from intensive farming systems can be reversed through changes in farming technology, such as reduced tillage systems and the use of cover crops and manure amendments to increase soil carbon levels and enhance soil fertility.

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  • Demonstration of the Potential for Carbon Sequestration

• New analyses using satellite data from the Amazon rain forest suggest that as much as 30% of the deforested land is in some stage of secondary succession. These regrowing systems are potentially important sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide.

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  • New Studies Suggest that Precision Farming Can Contribute to Climate Protection

• Satellite observations of fires in the southern African savannas are providing new information on the rate and spatial distribution of biomass burning in this region. This research suggests that earlier biomass burning estimates are too high.

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  • Fire Distribution and Associated Emissions