Deserts swallow more carbon than forests.

• Position: Global Warming - Brief article

Deserts may have a larger role in offsetting carbon dioxide than previously thought, according to a study by Beth Newingham of the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources, Moscow. She has been working with a team of researchers from several universities to understand the effects of elevated carbon dioxide on California's Mojave Desert, which is the driest desert in North America. The study looked at how soil and plants responded to 10 years of elevated carbon dioxide.

"Because carbon dioxide emissions are increasing rapidly, it is important to know how our ecosystems will respond," says Newingham. "It has long been known that forests may offset carbon dioxide through carbon storage, but now it seems deserts play a larger role."

Initially, scientists predicted that desert plants would increase their growth under elevated carbon dioxide more than other plants because it would...