Study shows trees now largely contributing to the warming of Arctic circle

A recent study, published in Nature Communications, revealed that trees are now largely contributing to global warming and heating up of the environment. While scientists are still trying to find the factors responsible for the rise of temperature in the Arctic, they believe that the changes in atmospheric circulation could be playing a role. The recent study revealed that plants may have an unexpected influence on global warming. 

According to the study, as carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, plants become more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis and other basic life functions, which in turn saves more water in the process. With less shedding of water, the surrounding atmosphere, in turn, gets warmer. The study suggests that this process is helping to warm the Arctic as the water that plants exchange with the air helps cool local temperatures. 

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Jin-Soo Kim, a scientist at the University of Edinburgh, while speaking to an International media outlet said that the influence of plants has been overlooked before. However, the new study highlights the vegetation impacts in Arctic warming under an elevated carbon dioxide world. The model suggests that the rising of CO2, which is the result of human greenhouse gas emissions, is causing plants to lose less water throughout the Northern Hemisphere. 

‘Extra heat’ is warming the Arctic at a faster rate

The researchers said that the whole process is causing temperatures in the Arctic region to warm even more than the world from climate change alone. Furthermore, they even noted that at the same time, large scale atmospheric circulation patterns help transport heat between tropics and the Arctic. The ‘extra heat’ is warming the Arctic at an even faster rate now. 

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The study also estimated that the plants' effect may account for nearly 10 per cent of the Arctic’s warming each year. The researchers said that the recent findings also could explain as much as 28 per cent of the warming across the Northern Hemisphere’s lower latitudes. However, they noted that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the estimates. 

Meanwhile, the snow is turning green in the Antarctic Peninsula due to the blooming algae which are likely to spread as temperatures increases as a result of climate change. According to the researchers, the green snow algae multiplies in warm temperatures and gets habitable in the regions of wet snow.

(Image: @chelseabock/Unsplash) 

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