There is an imbalance between the amount of phosphorus we use in the production of fish and shellfish (which need it for growth, bones and shells) and the amount we obtain by harvesting them. Remedying it will require aquaculture’s mean phosphorus use efficiency to increase from its current level of 20% to 48% by 2050.
For the first time, two phenomena that occur in different seasons are connected: the high temperatures advance and extend springs, so that the vegetation grows more intensely and absorbs more moisture from the soil. The consequence is much drier and warmer summers.
The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, showed that forests growing in fertile soils with ample nutrients are able to sequester about 30% of the carbon that they take up during photosynthesis. In contrast, forests growing in nutrient-poor soils may retain only 6% of that carbon. The rest is returned to the atmosphere as respiration.
