Madrid, 30 (European press)
The results of the study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, suggest that arid areas will increase by about 17 million square kilometers by the end of the century, which will reduce soil moisture by 74 percent in the classified areas, so far. , as it does not dry out.
“Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent: the melting of snow in high mountain regions is progressing earlier, and intense fires, heavy rains or droughts are becoming more frequent and intense. We wonder what the future of temperate forests and crop areas on the planet will be if these trends continue,” Anna Ray says.
Similarly, the team led by researcher from Al-Quds University, Jose Grunzweig, analyzed how species and ecosystems adapt to life in arid regions and deserts. “We have compiled a list of the processes that are currently operating in arid ecosystems. The mechanisms that influence vegetation distribution, plant growth, water flow, energy balance, carbon and nutrient cycles, or material decomposition. Plants are considered to be exclusive and functionally relevant. Of these regions” Grunsweig explains.
These “arid” mechanisms are controlled by environmental factors such as solar radiation, high temperatures, or the intermittent availability of water. Factors of global warming change in large areas of the planet.
“To understand how these processes affect the distribution of vegetation or the decomposition of plant matter, we modeled their dynamics globally, including in temperate regions, to show that in the future they will also operate in wetter regions of the planet,” explains Ray. “The results show a dramatic increase in arid regions and a 74% decrease in soil moisture in temperate, humid, densely populated areas designated for growing food,” he continues.
“Historically, arid and desert ecosystems have been studied less because countries with these climatic conditions tend to have less scientific infrastructure. This study shows that climate change is causing processes that were considered limited to arid and arid ecosystems to start functioning in temperate and arid regions. Wet areas.”
“This analysis of the evolution of temperate regions, which is related to the work of mechanisms operating in arid regions, can contribute to the development of knowledge about the adaptive capacity of ecosystems to extreme weather events and the mitigation of their impact on nature and its inhabitants. In short, it can help us improve the adaptation processes that must to do in the face of the climate crisis.”
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