Research finds that global warming causes early fall leaves to change color and fall.

Autumn is the most beautiful season of the year, because there are “carpets” paved with colored leaves and golden fallen leaves. New research indicates that in the future you will see the beauty of this fall day sooner, because warmer weather will cause the fall leaves to change color and fall earlier.

As the days get shorter and temperatures drop in the Northern Hemisphere, the leaves begin to turn. We can enjoy glorious fall colors while the leaves are still on the trees and later kicking a red, brown, and gold carpet when we go for a walk.

As the days in the Northern Hemisphere get shorter and the temperature drops, the leaves begin to turn yellow. When the leaves are still on the tree, we can see the bright colors of fall, and when we go for a walk, we can also step on the red, brown, and gold “carpet.”

When temperatures rise again in spring, the tree growing season resumes. During the warmer months, trees take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in complex molecules, releasing oxygen as a by-product. This, simply put, is the photosynthesis process. The more photosynthesis, the more carbon is locked up.

When spring comes, the temperature rises and the trees rejuvenate. In warm months, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in complex molecules, with oxygen released as a by-product. In short, this process is photosynthesis. The more photosynthesis, the more carbon is blocked.

We know that carbon dioxide is one of the main drivers of climate change, so the more plants can get out of the atmosphere, the better. Since warmer weather leads to a longer growing season, some researchers have suggested that trees and other plants would absorb more carbon dioxide than in earlier times. But a new study has inverted this theory and it could have profound effects on how we adapt to climate change.

We know that carbon dioxide is the main factor causing climate change, so the more carbon dioxide plants can absorb from the atmosphere, the better. Since global warming leads to longer plant growing seasons, some researchers believe that trees and other plants will absorb more carbon dioxide than before. But a new study subverts this theory and may have a profound impact on how humans adapt to climate change.

The researchers, led by Deborah Zani from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, studied the degree to which the timing of color changes in autumn tree leaves was determined by the growth of the plant in the previous spring and summer.

A team led by Deborah Zani from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology studied the extent to which the season of autumn leaf change is affected by growth in spring and summer.

Temperature and day length were traditionally accepted as the main determinants of when leaves changed color and fell, leading some scientists to assume that rising temperatures would delay this process until later in the season. By studying European deciduous tree species, including horse chestnut, silver birch, and English oak, the authors of the new study recorded how much carbon each tree absorbed per season and how that ultimately affected when the leaves fell. .

Traditionally, temperature and day length are the main factors determining when leaves change color and fall, leading some scientists to believe that global warming will slow down this process. The authors of the new study looked at European deciduous tree species such as horse chestnut, silver birch and English oak, and recorded the amount of carbon absorbed by each tree in each season and its ultimate impact on deciduous time.

deciduous [dɪˈsɪdʒuəs]: adj. Deciduous, shedding; not permanent

Using data from the Pan-European Phenology Project, which has tracked some trees for 65 years, the researchers found in their long-term observational study that as the rate of photosynthesis increased, the leaves changed color and fell earlier in the year. For every 10% increase in photosynthetic activity during the spring and summer growing season, trees lose their leaves, on average, eight days earlier.

Using data from the Pan-European Phenology Project, the researchers found after long-term observation that as the rate of photosynthesis increases, the time for the leaves to change color and fall earlier. The Pan-European Phenology Project has tracked some trees for 65 years. Studies have found that for every 10% increase in photosynthetic activity during the spring and summer growing seasons, the average time for leaves to fall will be 8 days earlier.

Climate-controlled experiments on European five-year-old beech and Japanese meadowsweet suggest what might be behind this unexpected result. In these trials, the trees were exposed to full sun, half shade, or full shade. The results show that there is a limit to the amount of photosynthesis that a tree can undergo during a growing season. Think of it like filling a bucket with water. It can be done slowly or quickly, but once the bucket is full, there is no more water to go.

Climate control experiments on five-year-old European beech and Japanese spiraea revealed the reasons behind this unexpected result. In these experiments, the trees were exposed to sufficient sunlight, half shade, and full shade. The results show that the total amount of photosynthesis that can occur in a tree during the growing season is limited. You can think of it like getting water out of a bucket. You can fill the bucket with water slowly or quickly, but once it is full, you can no longer fill it with water.

This research shows that deciduous trees can only absorb a certain amount of carbon each year and once that limit is reached, no more can be absorbed. At that time, the leaves begin to change color. This limit is established by the availability of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, and the physical structure of the plant itself. Nitrogen is a key nutrient plants need to grow and it is often the amount of available nitrogen that limits overall growth. That is why farmers and gardeners use nitrogen fertilizers to overcome this limitation.

Studies have shown that deciduous trees can only absorb a certain amount of carbon each year, and once the limit is reached, they cannot absorb any more carbon. Since then, the leaves have started to change color. This limit is determined by the nutrients available to the tree (especially nitrogen) and the physical structure of the tree itself. Nitrogen is a key nutrient necessary for plant growth and the amount of nitrogen obtained often limits overall plant growth. That is why farmers and gardeners use nitrogen fertilizers to overcome this limitation.

Together, these limitations mean that carbon uptake during the growing season is a self-regulating mechanism in trees and herbaceous plants. Only a limited amount of carbon can be absorbed.

In summary, these limitations mean that carbon uptake during the growing season is a self-regulating mechanism for trees and grasses. There is a limit to the amount of carbon that plants can absorb.

herbaceous [hɜːˈbeɪʃəs]: adj. Herbal; green; similar to a leaf

In a world with increasing levels of carbon in the atmosphere, these new findings imply that a warmer climate and longer growing seasons will not allow temperate deciduous trees to absorb more carbon dioxide. The study’s predictive model suggests that by 2100, when tree growing seasons are expected to be 22 to 34 days longer, leaves will fall from trees three to six days earlier than they do now.

Today, when the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to rise, these new research findings mean that global warming and prolonged growing seasons will not allow deciduous trees to absorb more carbon dioxide. The study’s prediction model shows that by 2100, the tree growing season is expected to extend from 22 to 34 days, and the time for leaves to fall is 3 to 6 days earlier than now.

This has important implications for modeling climate change. If we accept that the amount of carbon taken up by deciduous trees will remain the same each year, regardless of the growing season, carbon dioxide levels will rise more rapidly than previously expected. The only way to change this will be to increase the ability of trees to absorb carbon.

This has important implications for modeling climate change. If we agree that regardless of the length of the growing season, the total amount of carbon absorbed by deciduous trees per year will remain unchanged, then the rate of increase in carbon dioxide levels will be faster. than originally expected. The only way to change this is to increase the capacity of trees to absorb carbon.

Plants that are not limited by the amount of available nitrogen can grow longer in hot weather. These are the trees that can take nitrogen from the air, such as alder. But these species will still lose their leaves at around the same time as usual, thanks to less daylight and cooler temperatures.

In the case of a warm climate, plants that are not restricted by nitrogen fertilizers can grow longer. This tree can get nitrogen from the air, like alder. However, due to the shorter days and lower temperatures after fall, these trees will still lose their leaves at around the same time as in previous years.

But on the bright side, with the prospect of some trees losing their leaves sooner and others losing their leaves by the time they do now, there could be the prospect of lingering fall colors, and more time for us to kick the leaves.

On the bright side, as some trees lose their leaves sooner, while other trees lose their leaves at the same time as current ones, our time to see the beauty of autumn leaves in the future may be extended, which means that we will have more time. To walk on the fallen leaves .

English source: Phys

Translation and editing: Danny