The ultimate system?
Interesting discovery reported in the New Scientist, 14th January 2006:
Vegetation, it seems, releases methane - not just when it rots, but under normal conditions. And it's no small amount either - between 10 and 30 percent of all methane pumped into the atmosphere. One reason we may have missed this "minor detail" is that we know of no physiological reason why plants should make methane......Growing trees soak up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, so under the Kyoto protocol countries can plant forests as an alternative to reducing carbon dioxide emissions... What is more, emissions of methane from plants double with every 10 degrees Celsius rise in temperature. That means we have found yet another source of positive feedback to reinforce global warming...