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[EN VIDÉO] Our forests in time-lapse thanks to Google Earth Watch how we’ve changed our planet’s forests since 1984 with global time-lapse video.
41 million square kilometers: this is an area Earth which is still covered by forests. This represents about 30% of pop-up surfaces. But in recent decades, forests have suffered. subordinate storms More and more violent clients Pathogens Their number and ferocity is increasing, unusual forest firesoperations Elimination of Forests. Will they be able to resist, recover from all this upheaval, and rise again?
This is the question asked by A An international team of researchers. Because forests play a major role in regulating climate. So they absorb about a third of what we have emissions From carbon. They are also involved in regulating the flow of water and protecting and preserving the soil Biodiversity. evaluation of their own steadfastness So it looks especially important.
Studies have already shown that higher temperatures and lower humidity, all under the influence anthropogenic climate change, can make it difficult for some forests to survive. This time, the researchers went further. They wondered if these disturbances could reduce the forest’s ability to withstand more ad hoc attacks. Type of floodpests Drought or contamination. Natural as well as human attacks.
The researchers worked on an astronomical amount of satellite data. The data was collected over twenty years, between 2000 and 2020. It was the machine learning algorithm that helped them sift through this data.
Climate change puts forests to the test
The resilience of a forest, defined by researchers as its ability to recover after a disruptive event. How do you know if this is the case or not? According to them, when the forest turns into something else – like a savannah – when its state changes, this is evidence that the loss of elasticity has completed, and that the tipping point has been reached. Before that, the forest began to lose productivity.
A few years ago already, Colorado State University researchers (US) studied how climate change affects tree regeneration after a Fire from the forest. They have worked at 1,500 locations across five states in the United States. They noticed a significant decrease in tree renewal between the end of the 20th centurye century and the beginning of the twenty-first centurye century. In just over twenty years, forests seemed to be less fire-resistant. Recently, studies have revealed that tree mortality in Europe has been rising dramatically or that Amazon jungle It was close to the point of no return.
Cette fois, les résultats de l’analyse à l’échelle de la Planète montrent que plus de la moitié de toutes les forêts du monde — qu’elles soient gérées ou « intactes» — présentent des signes d’une diminution de leur steadfastness. These include tropical, arid and temperate forests. The reason is the increasingly frequent limited water supply and climate variability.
However, the Global Warming It appears to have a positive effect on the resilience of some trees. These are from boreal forestsin latitudes Northern regions, apparently benefit from a certain temperature rise “fertilization” from our side carbon dioxide emissions (Ko2).
Annoying work at a time when some depend on it carbon sink What forests are doing to help us fight global warming. But other studies should confirm this. Meanwhile, the researchers suggest that mitigating the impact of anthropogenic climate change on forest resilience will require enhancing the diversity of tree species in the future.
Primary rainforest Humidity is high and promotes the growth of air plants, those plants that grow on anything, trees, rocks, or electrical wires. On land, light is more scarce, which suits the fern well. the weather is hot. We’re in a rainforest © Mrs Brown, Pixabay, DP
taiga landscapes in russia Tall trees, vast expanses of water from melting snow and snow, low temperatures: this is the taiga. It extends to the north of the planet, all the way to the North Pole, from Siberia to Alaska through Scandinavia and Canada. © Baldr80, Pixabay, DP
eucalyptus forest in australia Australian shrub landscapes with two tiers of plants: scrub and herbaceous plants on the ground, and above, trees with hard or thorny leaves, such as eucalyptus. © 12019, Pixabay, DP
rambouillet forest The Rambouillet Forest, located in the south of the province of Yvelines, is one of the main forest areas of the Île-de-France. Its area is 200 square kilometers, including 14,550 hectares of state forest, which extends over the territory of 29 municipalities. The stand consists mainly of oak wood with up to 68% and softwoods (Scottish pine and larch pine) at 25%. This massif contains ponds, rocky areas, stretches of sand, valleys, and waterfalls. Part of the forest is located in the Upper Chevreuse Valley Natural Regional Park. © Pline GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2
Denmark: strange forest Strange forest in North Sealand, Denmark. © Malene Thyssen GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2 or
Madagascar: spiny forest Spiny forest in Ifaty, Madagascar, consisting of adansonia (baobab), alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) … © JialiangGao GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2
Italy: Cansiglio . Forest Cansiglio Forest in Autumn Italy © Umberto Salvagnin Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
New Zealand: Paraparaumu Reserve Forest (Rhopalostylis sapida) Paraparaumu Reserve, New Zealand © Pseudopanax Public domain
Panama: La Amistad International Park Panama La Amistad International Park © Dirk Van der Made GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.
Germany: Urwald Sababurg Forest © Szent István – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Wales: Forest by Lynn Cravant In North Wales, Llyn Cratnant Erwlas Forest / Flickr – Creative Commons License (by-nc-sa 2.0)
Belove Forest According to Wikipedia: The Bélouve Forest is a forest on the island of La Réunion, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean. It occupies a perched plateau on the edge of the natural circus occupied by the municipality of Salazie, on whose territory it is nevertheless located. It can only be reached by a cul-de-sac that passes through the Bébour Forest coming from La Plaine-des-Palmistes or from the north by a steep hiking trail that rises from Hell-Bourg Island. It is one of the Réunion forests that produces highland tamarind wood used in the manufacture of cabinets. Grande Marie in Belov Forest with tall tamarind forests and Plaine de Lien Forest wall in the background. Louis Volante / Flickr – Creative Commons License (by-nc-sa 2.0)
Rainforest – Mexico City, Mexico Coniferous rainforest in Mexico State, Mexico © Wikipedia
Huh Forest Hoh Forest in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State © Goldom GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska Sitka National Historic Park, Alaska © Willow & Monk at Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Scottish pine forests Pinus sylvestris (Pino Silvestre) © Clément Godbarge GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2
Male inflorescences of Scots pine Male Scots pine inflorescences © Beentree Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
holland forests Delabrata / Flickr – Creative Commons License (by-nc-sa 2.0)
forest in spain Forest in Autumn near Segovia Spain Cuellar / Flickr – Creative Commons License (by nc-sa 2.0)
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