Tree Invasion of the Arctic -A Global Warming Accelerator?

An army of trees is invading the Arctic.  It might sound like a Monty Python skit, complete with John Cleese and bizarre animations, but it's real and it's advancing.  Conifers are conquering the Ural mountains and it could be a global warming accelerator.

The latest observations come straight from Siberia, a location synonymous with being extremely damn cold.  The arboreal breakthrough into tundra is a major sign of global warming effects in the Arctic circle.  Yes, the place they keep all that frozen ice that isn't currently in the oceans and flooding the world.

Arctic tundra is where the subsoil is permanently frozen (permafrost), stunting growth for anything but the hardiest of shrubs. But it turns out that soil that's full of water isn't exactly anti-plant once the ice melts, and the recent promotion of trees from "stunted barely surviving shrubs" to "tall, fertile forests" is encroaching on previously inhospitable territory.

One of the most important effects of the newly generated greenery may seem to be the simplest - it's green.  The snow-white arctic is a major part of the Earth's albedo (ability to diffusely reflect light), and its loss means that increasing amounts of solar energy will be absorbed into the ecosystem - one that isn't exactly chilling out as is.

Unfortunately this data won't lead to any major changes - for those convinced of global warming it's just one more entry on the extremely long and depressing list of effects.  For those who deny it a picture of some more Russian trees than usual isn't the spark that'll ignite the light of "Maybe six billion people digging up and burning things actually has some kind of effect" in their heads.

Wider scale effects aside, it's a remarkable triumph for hardy plants in adverse conditions.  If only there was some other extremely cold, water ice-containing soil in an environment that could benefit from the introduction of oxygen-generating species....

Posted by Luke McKinney.

Arctic Forests http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/33383/title/Forest_invades_tundra

Comments

[Lisa]

Well, won't these trees help convert CO2?

[quaid]

get your ass to mars!

[Sarah]

One of the scary things scientists talk about is that global warming will melt the permafrost and thus release all the carbon that is currently 'trapped' in frozen soil. If trees are growing in that same soil, is that going to help reduce the impact of carbon being released from melting permafrost?

[Fred X]

If you are totally gay and so behind the times that you actually STILL believe the sham that is global warming you need to get a new crisis. This one is out of style. If you still believe you need to take the global warming challenge!.... 1- are you living like an Amish person? if not why not if you believe? ...it is your religion afterall. 2- eat bugs? why not? cows require alot of fossil fuel to raise. 3- since it is cooling since 1998 do you support subsidies for usage of carbon based fuels? if not why not if it is logical when warming to tax them? 4- do you own coastal land? sell it to me for 10% market value....its soon to be worthless according to your own words about sea level rising.

Face it... you are totally gay if you believe this mmgw. You are an NJF MSG. **(google it ) You think like a girl ..not like a man. Men are logical enough to see through this sort of con game. But then too many guys in the USA are effeminate now days.

[Lumberjack, I'm okay]

Wow, nice parody of a conservatard there, Sarah.