Plant growth declines as warming causes drought

[Abacus]

Source: AP

But a new study in Friday's edition of the journal Science found a drought-related decline in such plant growth from 2000 to 2009, even though temperatures continued to climb.

As drought caused by warming reduces the land's ability to take up carbon, the result could be more carbon dioxide left in the atmosphere, and thus more warming, Maosheng Zhao of the University of Montana explained in a telephone interview.

"This is a pretty serious warning that warmer temperatures are not going to endlessly improve plant growth," co-author Steven W. Running, also of the University of Montana, said in a statement.

"We see this as a bit of a surprise, and potentially significant on a policy level because previous interpretations suggested global warming might actually help plant growth around the world," he said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100819/ap_on_sc/us_sci_warming_plants

---

Whoops, there goes that freeper talking point.

[RantinRavin]

1. I wish someone

would explain this to the weeds in my yard.

[Soylent Brice]

3. same problem here. grass is DEAD, and weeds have popped up out

of no where, and have become rampant.

never seen anything like it before.

[northernlights]

2. it is helping plant growth here

in very, very rainy Maine. For the last few years it looked like we were turning into monsoon country. I was thinking eventually I could turn my lower land into rice paddies. :(

But yes, desertification (expansion of existing desert areas) will decrease overall plant growth.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. I hear the blueberries aren't so good here this year. :^(

[northernlights]

5. I don't have blueberries and haven't run into my neighbor who does

but she said last year she had a bumper blueberry crop, which helped made up for the lack of strawberries. Last year everybody's strawberries rotted right on the vine. The commercial grower up the road, who usually puts up a sign for pickers at the beginning of the season, instead put up a sign that they were all done picking...before they even started.

This year I had a bumper raspberry crop, which helped make up for my lack of strawberries (due to snow plower destroying most of my patch, which is now in recovery.)

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Abacus.