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Title: CO2 ENRICHMENT OF SOUR ORANGE TREES: 13 YEARS AND COUNTING

Author
item Idso, Sherwood
item Kimball, Bruce

Submitted to: Environmental and Experimental Botany
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2001
Publication Date: 6/15/2001
Citation: Idso, S.B., Kimball, B.A. 2001. Co2 enrichment of sour orange trees: 13 years and counting. Environmental and Experimental Botany 46:147-153.

Interpretive Summary: Enhanced tree growth as a consequence of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment has long been thought to be an effective means of slowing the rate-of-rise of the air's CO2 content, thereby mitigating global warming. However, there has always been a concern that the magnitude of this carbon sequestration process might decline over time. In the world's longest continuous investigation of this phenomenon, we have found that the extra wood produced by CO2-enriched sour orange trees has remained constant for the last 9 years of an experiment that was begun 12 years ago; and there are no indications that this CO2- enhanced rate of carbon sequestration will ever change. Consequently, the use of trees to sequester carbon does indeed appear to be a reliable means of reducing the rate-of-rise of the air's CO2 content caused by CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Technical Abstract: For the last 9 years of a 12-year study of the effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment on the growth of sour orange trees, the extra wood produced as a result of the extra CO2 has remained constant; and there is no indication that this CO2-induced increase in the rate of carbon sequestration will ever change.