4 ms·

It's Getting Too Hot for Tropical Trees to Photosynthesize, Scientists Warn

34 points by gardenfelder 3y ago

gardenfelder 3y ago
There is a temperature-photosynthesis curve (googles well) >A small fraction of tropical tree leaves already pass the threshold, scientists estimate, and that number could grow under worst-case climate models.
rolph 3y ago
this is not something to handwave away. previous posts: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37241079 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37241079 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238381 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238381
ugur2nd 3y ago
What is the solution? How can it be solved? The first thing that came to my mind was to take actions to increase the population of photosynthesizing sea creatures.
- petre 3y ago
  Algae blooms? It will naturally happen anyway at some point but green water is not pretty and it stinks. I don't want to imagine oceans turning into the Black Sea.
  - ugur2nd 3y ago
    Ok, I see. I'm just brainstroming.
- dingus9001 3y ago
  [flagged]
- Modified3019 3y ago
  If it was a crop field, I’d recommend a purpose designed calcium carbonate spray[0] to protect the crop. Not really viable for millions of acres of rainforest though. [0]: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M9oA8y65hLk https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M9oA8y65hLk
- rolph 3y ago
  Anthropocentricly we redesign our crops. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.715391/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.71539... Ecocentricly we radicly shift catechism for future generations
jschveibinz 3y ago
According to evolutionary reasoning, some tropical trees will still be able to photosynthesize in tropical regions. Those will become the dominant species. It will be the same order of business for all life on a warmer earth. Will humans thrive? Perhaps not. But some species will thrive.
- tmhn2 3y ago
  > some tropical trees will still be able to photosynthesize in tropical regions. Those will become the dominant species. Unless the environmental changes happen too fast for adaptation to keep up with--the tree of life can have dead ends.
  - seeknotfind 3y ago
    Not necessarily adaptation. It may be a selection and reduction of existing biodiversity.
    - tmhn2 3y ago
      Right. What "reduction in biodiversity" means is that some species will adapt fast enough and some won't. Unfortunately, there is no lower limit to "reduction in biodiversity".
ChrisArchitect 3y ago
[Dupe] More discussion over here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37266091 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37266091 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37245008 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37245008
toasted-subs 3y ago
Getting hotter because all the developers are chopping down trees.
realjhol 3y ago
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frank_bb 3y ago
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34 points by gardenfelder 3y ago

There is a temperature-photosynthesis curve (googles well) >A small fraction of tropical tree leaves already pass the threshold, scientists estimate, and that number could grow under worst-case climate models.

rolph 3y ago

this is not something to handwave away. previous posts: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37241079 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37241079 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238381 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37238381

ugur2nd 3y ago

What is the solution? How can it be solved? The first thing that came to my mind was to take actions to increase the population of photosynthesizing sea creatures.

petre 3y ago
Algae blooms? It will naturally happen anyway at some point but green water is not pretty and it stinks. I don't want to imagine oceans turning into the Black Sea.
- ugur2nd 3y ago
  Ok, I see. I'm just brainstroming.
dingus9001 3y ago
[flagged]
Modified3019 3y ago
If it was a crop field, I’d recommend a purpose designed calcium carbonate spray[0] to protect the crop. Not really viable for millions of acres of rainforest though. [0]: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M9oA8y65hLk https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M9oA8y65hLk
rolph 3y ago
Anthropocentricly we redesign our crops. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.715391/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.71539... Ecocentricly we radicly shift catechism for future generations

jschveibinz 3y ago

According to evolutionary reasoning, some tropical trees will still be able to photosynthesize in tropical regions. Those will become the dominant species. It will be the same order of business for all life on a warmer earth. Will humans thrive? Perhaps not. But some species will thrive.

tmhn2 3y ago
> some tropical trees will still be able to photosynthesize in tropical regions. Those will become the dominant species. Unless the environmental changes happen too fast for adaptation to keep up with--the tree of life can have dead ends.
- seeknotfind 3y ago
  Not necessarily adaptation. It may be a selection and reduction of existing biodiversity.
  - tmhn2 3y ago
    Right. What "reduction in biodiversity" means is that some species will adapt fast enough and some won't. Unfortunately, there is no lower limit to "reduction in biodiversity".

ChrisArchitect 3y ago

[Dupe] More discussion over here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37266091 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37266091 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37245008 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37245008

toasted-subs 3y ago

Getting hotter because all the developers are chopping down trees.

realjhol 3y ago

[dead]

frank_bb 3y ago

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