Trees in the mountains can combat climate change

If global temperatures raise dramatically, as expected, one of the solutions to combat this scourge will be planting trees in higher places, according to a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters. According to the survey, carried out by teams from the universities of Sheffield and Oxord, England, these trees may have a very important role in the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.

The survey was developed in the mountains of Peru and revealed that, in the most high and cold, the growth of tree roots slow down. This means that the roots don't reach deep enough, in the soil, to break the rocks below and join to CO2, removing it from the atmofera.

If global temperatures are warmer, however, the layer of organic material between the root and the rock rots faster, less thick and torando allowing the roots reach the rock and begin the removal process.

Mountainous areas are also important for their volcanic material, such as granite and basalt. These elements contain more calcium and magnesium that sediments of lowlands, having a greater effect on CO2 levels.

According to the sustainable planet, researchers claim that this theory suggests that mountain ecosystems acted like a thermostat on the planet, facing the risk of excessive heating or cooling for millions of years.

"A series of weather events over the past 65 years resulted in the rise and fall of temperatures. However, the removal process that regulates CO2 in the atmosphere can be contained by the forests that grow in mountainous parts of the world. In the past, this process may have prevented the temperatures reach levels hazardous to life, "said at the Red Orbit, Chris Doughty, Chief of the study.

Foto: winterriot / Creative Commons

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