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Nature 450, 360-361 (15 November 2007) | doi:10.1038/450360a; Published online 14 November 2007

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Carbon cycle: Quick burial at sea

Caroline A. Masiello1

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The amount of river-borne carbon that is buried upon reaching the sea affects Earth's atmospheric composition. A study of rivers draining the Himalaya shows that carbon burial may occur more efficiently than was thought.

It's a popular misconception that the concentration of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere is controlled by photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is certainly the source of atmospheric O2, but the amount it produces is in almost perfect balance with the amount consumed through the respiration of living organisms.

  1. Caroline A. Masiello is in the Department of Earth Science, Rice University, Mail Stop 126, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
    Email: masiello@rice.edu

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