A recent study released in Science shows that the increased levels of CO2 in the air as a result of climate change may be resulting in the growth of northern Boreal forests. David Biello, writing for Scientific American, explains that these higher levels of CO2 are causing trees in Boreal forests (mainly located across Scandinavia, Russia, and Canada) to increase carbon flow frequency by about 32 percent more. Scientists are not sure if the carbon is being allocated differently by the trees, for instance to leaves or roots, or if the trees are changing how photosynthesis and respiration is timed to adjust for the increased CO2 in the air. The amount of carbon being stored by boreal forests adds up to more than a tenth of the total CO2 emitted as a result of human activity every year. However it's not clear if the carbon is being stored within the trees themselves or in the wider ecosystem and whether the forests will be able to keep up with the ever increasing GHG emissions due to human activity.
To learn more, take a look at this article published through Scientific American.
Image credit: David Biello