As global average temperatures rise due to global warming, droughts are expected to become more frequent and more severe in many regions of the planet. There is a new study that indicates that terrestrial ecosystems take longer to recover from recent droughts than those in the 20th century. It is increasingly evident that ecosystems are essential for the fight against climate change, and its recovery is essential.
The increase in the planet's average temperatures could lead to ecosystems not fully recovering. This would lead to the death of trees and, therefore, to a greater emission of greenhouse gases.
After the drought
A team led by Christopher Schwalm of the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA, and NASA's Josh Fisher in the same country, measured the recovery time from droughts in various regions of the world. To measure this, they used climate model projections and ground-based measurements. This type of study is crucial to better understanding the nature of droughts and its impact on the ecosystems.
The conclusion of the research is that it is taking longer and longer for almost all land areas to recover after a period of drought. There are two regions that are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon. This is the area of the tropics and those in high northern latitudes. In these two areas the recovery time after a drought event was much longer than in the others.
From space, we can observe all the planet's forests and other ecosystems that are repeatedly hit by drought. As average global temperatures rise, droughts are becoming more frequent and more intense. Furthermore, research is providing a better understanding of how desertification in Spain and other areas can aggravate this problem, an aspect that is related to the drought situation in Spain.
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Data for the future
Data collected in space allow for verification of these simulations of past and current climate, which in turn helps reduce uncertainty in projections of future climate. This knowledge is essential for anticipating the ecosystem recovery after droughts in highly affected regions, being vital also for adapt our strategies against climate change.
The time it takes for an ecosystem to recover is a crucial parameter to be able to evaluate the possibility of survival of the same in extreme situations. It also helps to know what is the threshold where trees begin to die from lack of water. This threshold is essential to understand the impact of global warming on ecosystems, in a context where forests with greater biodiversity show greater resistance to drought.
Shorter periods between droughts, combined with longer recovery times, could lead to widespread tree die-offs, reducing the ability of affected land areas to absorb atmospheric carbon.
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