skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump will name more conservative judges. He may even pick a majority of the Supreme Court; Both sides react as Missouri reverses near-total abortion ban Literacy initiative to implement 250 new early-education activations in PA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Biden asks Americans to turn down the temperature, House Speaker Mike Johnson promises an aggressive first 100 day agenda and Democratic governors vow to push back on Trump's plan for mass deportations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Texas women travel some of the longest distances for abortion care, Californians the shortest, rural living comes with mixed blessings for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

Will Our Trees Survive the Warming Temps?

play audio
Play

Monday, March 21, 2016   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A crew of scientists from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has been making its way through the Ozark Mountains, dodging snakes and poison ivy to study tree rings, to see how they're reacting to climate change.

In much of North America, research has shown climate warming is happening so quickly that trees can't adapt but that isn't the case in the south-central U.S., where temperatures haven't changed much yet.

Research professor Park Williams says some tree species will be more vulnerable than others.

"And if we can identify some species that do very well versus other species that do poorly in the warmth, then maybe we can understand how these tree species may respond in a future world where warming takes place," says Williams.

The team samples trees' yearly growth rings by hand-screwing a long, hollow drill bit into the trunk.

They then correlate the rings to the annual temperature and rainfall amounts in that area.

The project is in the early stages, and Williams says they're trying to secure funding to take it further.

He says it's important to know how trees are doing because when they die, they release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and that can warm the planet even further.

Williams calls the Ozarks "the perfect classroom."

"Anybody who's been on a walk in the Ozark Mountains or Smoky Mountains, there's well over 10 dominant tree species, and during summertime, every square inch of possible space is taken up by leaves," says Williams. "Every bit of sunlight is being utilized."

In the next phase of the study, Williams and his colleagues plan to sample hundreds of trees from central Kentucky to where the Great Plains begin.

Trees have started showing signs of the warming climate across the U.S.

Ponderosa pines in the Southwest, and aspens in Colorado, are being wiped out. In California, drought and wildfire could kill some 120 million trees. Williams says that's why this study is crucial.

"If you had one species that started doing really poorly, then very quickly you'd have another species benefit," he says. "And we're really interested in trying to learn who would be the 'winners' and who would be the 'losers' if we had a change in climate? Not just temperature, but if it got wetter because of increased rainfall, who would win and who would die?"


get more stories like this via email

more stories
While Amendment 3 protects the right to abortion in Missouri, it does not mandate state funding for abortion procedures, so Medicaid and state funds are not used for most abortions. (Bits and Splits/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Strong reactions are pouring in from both sides as Missouri voters made history by adding abortion rights to the state constitution. The decision to …


Social Issues

play sound

If the election season made one thing clear, it is neither side can hear what the other is saying and one expert believes it is because most of us …

Social Issues

play sound

Roughly 30% of Minnesota's private-sector employees do not have a work-sponsored retirement plan but some business owners and consumer advocates hope …


Pima and Maricopa counties are the only ones in Arizona currently offering vouchers to residents and commercial users for electric lawn equipment. (Tyger Gilbert/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

It is finally cooling down in Arizona, which means more leaves on the ground as well as heightened use of lawn equipment to keep Arizona properties …

Social Issues

play sound

Connecticut voters approved an amendment enshrining no-excuse absentee voting in the state's constitution. Passing by a little more than 57% of the …

Social Issues

play sound

New federal loan adjustments aim to ease financial burdens for farmers but advocates said lasting change requires legislative action. The U.S…

Social Issues

play sound

Young people in Pueblo can now avoid serious and long-lasting consequences when they are unable to pay fines or fees. Chanell Hasty, program …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021