http://www.climateoutcome.kiwi.nz/blog.html

Tree Die Off.

11/5/2014

Plants and Wildlife.
The last time the world had today's level of 400 part per million of CO2 was four million years ago and the trees and plants at that time were adapted to the climate that went with it. Those trees had taken thousands or years to evolve to match those conditions. The trees we have today are adapted to a CO2 level of 280 PPM and a climate 0.8C cooler than today and are rapidly going into conditions 2C warmer and with dramatical changed rainfall conditions of either drought or flood.
We can expect to see much large numbers of trees and other plant life dying in the coming years.

3 Comments

Bob Bristow

12/5/2014 03:10:49 pm

Sad but very true, the pine bark beatle is encroaching into Northern parts of the Rockies, killing off many trees. The Amazon basin is predicted to get dryer with a high risk of trees dying and increased risks of massive forest fires (mass dying already reported). As climatic zones change, plants and trees will struggle to migrate and survive. We will lose yet more of our valuable and natural CO2 sinks.

We have already burned 300 gigatons of carbon (plus 200 gigatons added by deforestation) for a 1 degree rise, we really need to slow down soon to prevent going above 2 degrees.

Bob Bingham

15/5/2014 05:57:44 am

Hello Bob. There is a really good lecture by Steve Running of Montana U. He makes a good clear presentation and you can see how the circumstances would transfer to trees in other parts of the World.
http://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=18197

Bob Bristow

15/5/2014 03:33:17 pm

Many thanks for sharing this great lecture, interesting to learn that not much (or no) mixing takes place of atmosphere latitudinally (between North and South hemispheres), but very fast otherwise, I've noticed that CO2 readings lag behind the Northern Hemisphere in our neck of the woods, great tribute to David Keeling.

Bob Bingham Blog page.

Tree Die Off.

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