Microbes the unseen agents of climate change / David L. Kirchman.

Author/creator Kirchman, David L.
Other author Oxford University Press.
Format Electronic
Publication InfoNew York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2024]
Description231 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Supplemental ContentFull text available from Oxford Scholarship Online
Subjects

Abstract "The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide is due mainly to the burning of fossil fuels, yet microbes such as bacteria and fungi, the most abundant and ubiquitous organisms, also produce this most important greenhouse gas as part of the natural carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is consumed by algae and cyanobacteria, which are microbes that carry out photosynthesis like plants. Only microbes produce and consume the next two most important greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide, and only microbes produce another gas, dimethyl sulfide, which helps to form clouds and minimize global warming. A key question to be examined throughout the book is about how climate change may alter what microbes are doing with greenhouse gases: will they consume more or produce more? The answer is critical in predicting what the planet will look like in the coming decades if climate change continues at its current pace"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 179-223) and index.
Access restrictionAvailable only to authorized users.
Technical detailsMode of access: World Wide Web
Genre/formElectronic books.
LCCN 2023042495
ISBN9780197688564 (hardback)
ISBN(epub)

Availability

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