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Scientists find a carbon cycle hiding in desert minerals

Phys · · 876 words · By University
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What to know about Scientists find a carbon cycle hiding in desert minerals

Researchers from UC Berkeley have discovered a non-biological carbon cycle in the Mojave Desert where soil minerals adsorb carbon dioxide at night and release it during the day. The study suggests this abiotic process may account for a significant portion of global annual carbon exchange, potentially influencing climate models and nature-based solutions.

Propaganda risk 0%
Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Scientists find a carbon cycle hiding in desert minerals Swati Mestri Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor On the surface, the arid expanses of the Mojave Desert may seem inhospitable and largely removed from the global carbon cycle.

Why it matters

But beneath the surface, its mineral-rich soils are running a carbon cycle of their own—one that could account for a surprisingly large share of the planet's annual carbon exchange.

Common ground

23 in Science Advances, researchers in UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) detail a daily cycle of carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption and desorption.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Researchers from UC Berkeley have discovered a non-biological carbon cycle in the Mojave Desert where soil minerals adsorb carbon dioxide at night and release it during the day. The study suggests this abiotic process may account for a significant portion of global annual carbon exchange, potentially influencing climate models and nature-based solutions.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-carbon-minerals.html

analyticsAnalysis

0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified
Claim 1: “Since 2017, Amundson's team has monitored the Mojave using soil sensors that record real-time data.”
VERIFIED
Multiple sources confirm Ronald Amundson is a professor at UC Berkeley's ESPM and has conducted soil research in the Mojave Desert. One source specifically mentions soil profiles examined in the eastern Mojave.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_United_States
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web search NEUTRAL — Stephanie A Ewing. Ronald Amundson.Six soil profiles were examined along an altitudinal transect, from 840 to 2170 m, in the eastern Mojave Desert of southern Nevada. The soils formed on gravelly lime…
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ronald-Amundson/2
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web search NEUTRAL — Research Bio. Ronald Amundson is the Betty and Isaac Barshad Endowed Chair in Soils Science and a professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management.
https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/ronald-amundson
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 2: “the CO2 concentration in soil 5 centimeters (2 inches) deep dropped below the concentration at the soil's surface, resulting in an influx of CO2.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence includes a video about Lake Mead and general soil sampling in other regions, but nothing regarding CO2 concentration gradients at 5cm depth in the Mojave Desert.
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web search NEUTRAL — In a lake in the Mojave Desert, in September of 2026 the lowest it has ever been in recorded history, it is another world entirely. No light. Water temperatures in the low 40s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxuJrz0xPD4
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web search NEUTRAL — The exact soil sampling locations at Kao and Letseng were at an interval of 20 meters alongside the slope from five different spots along the drainage route of contaminated wastewater that flows downw…
https://biomedgrid.com/fulltext/volume30/evaluating-heavy-me…
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web search NEUTRAL — Mountain ranges can create deserts by preventing moist air from reaching certain areas. Known as the ‘rain shadow’ effect, this phenomenon has played a part in the formation of many arid landscapes, i…
https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/how-do-deserts-for…
verified
Claim 3: “In the Mojave, soil surface temperatures can reach as high as 140°F (60°C) during the day, then drop below 70°F (20°C) at night.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While Wikipedia and Britannica confirm the Mojave is a desert, the specific temperature range (140°F to 70°F) is not explicitly verified in the provided evidence. NASA results refer to other planets.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mojave Desert ( ; Mohave: Hayikwiir Mat'aar; Spanish: Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United St…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_tortoise
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web search NEUTRAL — Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert contains sand and gravel basins that drain to central salt flats from which borax, potash, and salt are extracted.The Mojave Desert, higher in elevation, makes up the p…
https://www.britannica.com/place/Mojave-Desert
+ 2 more evidence sources
help
Claim 4: “In 2024, former UC Berkeley chemistry professor Omar Yaghi (who shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) unveiled a porous crystalline material capable of pulling carbon dioxide from open air.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding Omar Yaghi's 2024 material or a 2025 Nobel Prize.
info
Claim 5: “When the sun rises and temperatures begin to climb, those same molecules detach from the soil and return to their gaseous state.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is corroborated by a single source (ALLATRA Media) stating soil gives CO2 back as it warms by day. Other results discuss microbial activity or unrelated films.
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web search NEUTRAL — This research investigates the impact of elevated CO2 on soil microbial activity and nitrogen (N) availability in Mojave Desert ecosystems.
https://www.academia.edu/19725680/Soil_microbial_activity_an…
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web search NEUTRAL — Produced by Claire Fleming, the film was shot in London with an international cast, while all exteriors were shot in Stockholm. The VFX is done by Goodbye Kansas (goodbyekansas.com) VFX Breakdown - • …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgPMyvZMBY0
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web search NEUTRAL — Offering extensive opportunities to experience desert landscapes, the preserve promotes understanding and appreciation for the increasingly threatened resources of the Mojave Desert. This remote prese…
https://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm
help
Claim 6: “Anna Abramova et al, Thermally driven CO2 adsorption/desorption and its effect on soil respiration, Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aed9979”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results to verify the existence of this specific 2026 paper or DOI.
info
Claim 7: “In a new study published Sept. 23 in Science Advances, researchers in UC Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) detail a daily cycle of carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption and desorption.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While web search confirms the existence of the UC Berkeley ESPM department and Ronald Amundson's role as a professor there, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming a study published on Sept 23 in Science Advances regarding CO2 adsorption/desorption. The only mention of a similar study appears in the evidence for claim 6, but it is dated 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Whendee Silver is an American ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whendee_Silver
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web search NEUTRAL — The Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley is a multidisciplinary program that recognizes the urgency of the challenges, and the enormous opportunities that may lea…
https://www.youtube.com/@ESPMBerkeley
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web search NEUTRAL — Adsorption is the first stage of a virus life cycle.
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-adsorption-605820
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 8: “At night, as temperatures drop, atmospheric carbon dioxide molecules latch onto minerals and other fine particles in Mojave soils through a process known as adsorption.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is corroborated by a single source (ALLATRA Media) which describes soil in the Mojave taking up CO2 as it cools at night. Other results are irrelevant (pornography or general desert definitions).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William H. Schlesinger (born April 30, 1950) is a biogeochemist and the retired president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, an independent not-for-profit environmental research organization…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Schlesinger
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mars habitability analogue environments on Earth are environments that share potentially relevant astrobiological conditions with Mars. These include sites that are analogues of potential subsurface h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_habitability_analogue_env…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 9: “Researchers have observed the same phenomenon in cold deserts, including Antarctica”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided discusses hydrogen compression and general thermal desorption, but does not mention CO2 adsorption/desorption in Antarctica or cold deserts.
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web search NEUTRAL — Hydrogen was introduced at 8 MPa and pre-adsorbed on 0.135 kg of MSC-30 at 77K.The use of microporous AC in a thermally driven device for hydrogen compression, based on cyclic adsorption/desorption, h…
https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/hal-02484434
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web search NEUTRAL — Thermal Analysis >. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC).In this webinar, the theory and function of thermal desorption will be covered, including differences between passive and active sampling.
https://www.perkinelmer.com/th/library/fundamentals-of-therm…
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web search NEUTRAL — This mechanism leads to adsorption and desorption barriers of 1.0 and 2.4 eV, respectively, in agreement with experiment. An explanation for the two components observed in the β1 peak of temperature-p…
https://collaborate.princeton.edu/en/publications/hsub2sub-a…
info
Claim 10: “When scaled globally, the authors estimate that between 1 and 3 gigatons (1–3 GT) of carbon—roughly one-tenth to one-third of annual human emissions—move into and out of desert soils each year.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific estimate of 1-3 gigatons of carbon moving in and out of desert soils is found in one web search result dated Sep 24, 2026.
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web search NEUTRAL — Carbon cycle schematic showing the movement of carbon between land, atmosphere, and oceans in billions of tons (gigatons) per year. Yellow numbers are natural fluxes, red are human contributions, and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle
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web search NEUTRAL — Soil carbon is a carbon sink in the global carbon cycle, playing a role in biogeochemistry, climate change mitigation. As such, data on soil carbon quality and change is important to constructing glob…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_carbon
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 24, 2026 · When scaled globally, the authors estimate that between 1 and 3 gigatons (1–3 GT) of carbon—roughly one-tenth to one-third of annual human emissions—move into and out of...
https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-carbon-minerals.htm…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.