carbon sink

noun

plural carbon sinks

: a location (such as the ocean, the soil, or a forest) that stores substances which contain carbon and especially carbon dioxide

Advocates of "sequestration" argue that the ocean already functions as the world's largest carbon sink: it contains 50 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere, most of which is stored in sediments on the ocean floor.

—Linda Baker

Research has found that drought and declining water availability are increasingly impeding the ability of tropical ecosystems to soak up carbon dioxide, making the tropics a less effective carbon sink.

—Glenn Scherer

Peatlands serve as a major carbon sink. Their defining feature is a thick soil layer of leaf litter and other dead vegetation in a waterlogged state, meaning it can't fully decompose, which prevents vast amounts of carbon emissions.

—Isabel Esterman

Examples of carbon sink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Founder Annabel Thomas has expressed concerns about the sustainability of peat use, highlighting its role as a carbon sink and biodiverse habitat. —Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

The tundra has become a source of emissions, rather than a carbon sink, the authors said. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024

Hosting the summit in the Amazon, a vital carbon sink and symbol of climate urgency, provides Brazil with a unique platform to push for transformative change. —María Mendiluce, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024

The world is a stakeholder, not a bystander, and cannot remain silent as Brazil despoils this indispensable carbon sink, irreplaceable oxygen source, and precious repository of plant and animal life. —Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above