Drought May Stunt Forests’ Ability to Capture Carbon

[ScienceRocks]

Drought May Stunt Forests’ Ability to Capture Carbon
Drought May Stunt Forests Ability to Capture Carbon Climate Central

Forests are sometimes called the lungs of the earth — they breathe in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and store it in tree trunks until the forest dies or burns. A new study, however, shows that forests devastated by drought may lose their ability to store carbon over a much longer period than previously thought, reducing their role as a buffer between humans’ carbon emissions and a changing climate.

The study, published Thursday in the journal Science by a team of by researchers at the University of Utah and Princeton University, shows that the world’s forests take an average of between two and four years to return to their normal growth and carbon dioxide absorption rate following a severe drought — a finding that has significant climate implications.

“This means that these forests take up less carbon both during drought and after drought,” study lead author William Anderegg, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Utah and a researcher at Princeton University, said.

Forests act as a carbon sinks by absorbing human-emitted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in trees’ woody roots and stems. As climate change affects forests, they’ll store less carbon dioxide because drought stresses them and hinders their ability to grow, making man-made global warming even worse. Eventually, forests could become a source of carbon instead of storehouse of it.

“In some scenarios in the coming century, due to things like drought, wildfire, insects, (or) disturbances, forests start to lose more carbon than they take up, and they become a carbon source,” Anderegg said. “It’s a vicious cycle. (Forests) accelerate climate change and more climate change kills more forests.”

If the land carbon sinks like forest start to fail then the rate of co2 in our atmosphere could climb. This could make it much harder to stay below 2c even if we drop our emissions big time.

 

[Old Rocks]

6% of the Amazon rain forest destroyed between 2000 and 2010. Pretty much the same happening world wide with our forests. Not a good sign for our future.

New forest map shows 6 of Amazon deforested between 2000 and 2010

 

[Mr. H.]

We could plant 58 million acres of trees right here in the U.S. alone.

But... it would require uprooting 58 million acres of corn that is dedicated to ethanol production.

And that shit ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

 

[flacaltenn]

That's kinda of a massive DUH statement. Severe drought WILL jeopardize carbon uptake in forests. How much money did we waste there Matthew? You expecting WIDESPREAD drought soon? Want to play Nostradamus on that hunch?

Why the fuck can't we just ask these questions without all the Global Warming sanctimony? Is there ANY part of eco-science that works WITHOUT this nonsense any more?

 

[Mr. H.]

Calculate 58 million acres of tree plantings based on the BLM recommended reforestation parameters.

Then calculate the Co2 absorbed by those 58 million acres of trees. Then calculate the oxygen given off by 58 million acres of trees.

Then calculate 58 million acres of corn that are grown using tractors powered by hydrocarbons, fertilized by hydrocarbons, sprayed by hydrocarbon-derived herbicides pesticides, fertilizers...

And then tell me... which is the happier planet?

You fucking Liberals have no clue whatsoever.