How will global warming affect tree growth?

Rising summer average temperatures in the north will affect tree growth by the end of the 21st century, but absorption of 2 will not be directly proportional to warming.

Alexander Kirdyanov, a senior researcher at the Sokatchov Forest Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences branch in Siberia, notes that trees will stop relying on temperatures and their ability to absorb 2 carbon dioxide will not be proportional to the rate at which temperatures rise.

It is noteworthy that the journal Global Change Biology previously published a study conducted by an international scientific team, including Kirdianov, whose results determined how high temperatures affected the growth of trees in the northern regions and mountains, and how it would affect the expansion of the tree area in the tundra region.

The study indicates that during the past 100 years, the air temperature has increased by 0.8 ° C. And according to projections, it will continue to rise in the 21st century as well. Rising temperatures combined with increased concentration of 2 in the atmosphere, accelerated tree growth. However, the expectation that the growth velocity of trees will continue to increase with increasing temperature and 2 concentration is not justified.

“The growth of trees in the north now depends, first of all, on the fluctuations of summer temperatures. This means that any positive change, especially at the beginning of summer, leads to an acceleration of tree growth. In some areas, in certain conditions, there is a direct relationship between temperatures,” said Kirdyanov Summer and growth rate, but trees in temperatures higher than 17-18 degrees Celsius are comfortable and suitable for certain types of trees and in specific areas.

And Kirdianov points out that if summer temperatures become comfortable for trees, their height at a later stage will not be equally suitable for tree growth. That is, the absorption of 2 from the atmosphere will not be proportional to the increase in temperature.

He added, explaining that the growth rate of trees was determined in this study, depending on the growth of the annual rings. As it is known, when the spring and summer are warmer in the north, the trees get warmer and the annual growth rings are larger. According to him, this means that as temperatures rise, the northern trees should become gigantic. But this will not happen in the coming centuries.

Source: Novosti

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