A carbon dioxide (CO2) sink is a carbon reservoir that is increasing in size, and is the opposite of a carbon "source".

The main natural sinks are the oceans and plants and other organisms that use photosynthesis to remove carbon from the atmosphere by incorporating it into biomass.

This concept of CO2 sinks has become more widely known because of its role in the Kyoto Protocol.

Carbon sequestration is the term describing processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

To help mitigate global warming, a variety of means of artificially capturing and storing carbon, as well as of enhancing natural sequestration processes, are being explored..

For more information about the topic Carbon dioxide sink, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Carbon cycle — The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere of the Earth. ...  > read more

Ocean acidification — Ocean acidification is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by their uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide ...  > read more

Soil science — Soil science deals with soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, ...  > read more

Forest — A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). These plant communities cover large areas ...  > read more

Related Stories

Understanding The Global Carbon Budget (May 10, 2007) — As climate change becomes a more central issue in local, national, and international discussions, understanding the global carbon budget, and how it influences global warming, will become ...  > read more

Global Warming From Carbon Dioxide Will Increase Five-fold Over The Next Millennium, Scientists Predict (January 29, 2009) — Scientists have found that heating from carbon dioxide will increase five-fold over the next ...  > read more

First-ever 'State Of The Carbon Cycle Report' Finds Troubling Imbalance (November 17, 2007) — The first "State of the Carbon Cycle Report" for North America finds the continent's carbon budget increasingly overwhelmed by human-caused emissions. North American sources release nearly 2 billion ...  > read more

Carbon Sinks Losing The Battle With Rising Emissions (March 21, 2009) — The stabilizing influence that land and ocean carbon sinks have on rising carbon emissions is gradually weakening, scientists who attended the international Copenhagen Climate Change ...  > read more

Beneficial Effects Of No-till Farming Depend Upon Future Climate Change (October 14, 2005) — By storing carbon in their fields through no-till farming practice, farmers can help countries meet targeted reductions in atmospheric carbon dioxide and reduce the harmful effects of global warming. ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Can Carbon Dioxide Be A Good Thing?