The biosphere – the “living world” including all of the earth's ecosystems and their interactions – exchanges large amounts of carbon dioxide with the atmosphere each year. Photosynthesis absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide, and respiration and decomposition release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Scientists measure this carbon exchange in a variety of ways. The Biospheric Carbon Index (BCI) would quantify the carbon gained or lost by the biosphere in a single index, providing a comprehensible metric of carbon exchange.
Why a Biospheric Carbon Index?
Since the Industrial Revolution, human beings have been perturbing the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide through fossil fuel combustion and changing land use and land cover, and this is now leading to climate change. In recent years, the biosphere has been absorbing much of the extra carbon dioxide, slowing down the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, but disturbance and climate change can cause ecosystems to switch to a carbon-releasing mode. By providing a comprehensible metric of biological carbon exchange, the biospheric carbon index would provide a tool for properly valuing the carbon sequestration power of photosynthesis, and could encourage management practices that support biological carbon sequestration and slow climate change. This could be used to inform policy and carbon markets and spur the monitoring industries, leading to long-term economic benefits.