Leonardo DiCaprio criticizes Ottawa over B.C. salmon farms
Salmon farms have long been a point of contention between environmentalists and fish farmers in British Columbia, but a much bigger net is now being cast on the topic.
A new study by climate scientists suggests some “hot spot regions” around the world contain ecosystems that are at-risk due to water availability.
A group of researchers from Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia investigated how changes in water and energy availability -- both crucial to the process of photosynthesis -- are projected to change around the world using a simulator, looking at 1980 to 2100.
Their findings, published in the journal Nature Climate Change on Monday, suggest ecosystems in Central Europe, the Amazon, and Western Russia are going to be impacted as climate change limits water availability.
Energy, including sunlight and heat, is not in short supply as climate change increases energy availability for plants and ecosystems. But Jasper Denissen, a former PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany and the lead author of the study, says water availability is another story.
“We found that globally, ecosystems become thirstier by becoming more water-limited,” Denissen said in a press release.
The simulator suggests an additional six million square kilometres of the Earth’s land surface could become water-limited by 2100, compared to 1980.
Periods of water limitation are also projected to increase in duration, according to the study, with nearly half the study area experiencing water shortages for two months longer per year by 2100.
"These shifts in the vegetation's water limitation in space and time leave vegetation craving for water across larger regions and during longer consecutive periods," said Rene Orth, another lead author of the study, in the release.
The researchers say the information is crucial, as well-functioning ecosystems and the process of photosynthesis play key roles on our planet, including providing food and water security, intaking carbon dioxide created by human activity, and providing evaporative cooling to bring temperatures down.
Evaporative cooling occurs during photosynthesis when small openings on the leaf of a plant, called stomata, open up to take in carbon dioxide, according to the study. Through the open stomata, water from the plant evaporates back into the atmosphere. This process creates a cooling effect, which researchers say is crucial in dealing with rising temperatures and extreme heat waves due to climate change, possibly preventing heat stress and heat-related deaths.
The study’s authors say more research is needed to understand how ecosystems are impacted by climate change to make changes to human activity, including agriculture and forest management, to mitigate the impact on ecosystems.
Salmon farms have long been a point of contention between environmentalists and fish farmers in British Columbia, but a much bigger net is now being cast on the topic.
High winds and turbulence have forced a United Airlines flight from Israel to be diverted from its destination of Newark Airport in New Jersey to Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, N.Y..
The Vancouver Canucks weren’t the only ones who stumbled during Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars.
Two men from Senegal froze to death were found in the snow of a wooded area close to the Canadian border, New York state police said.
An historic downtown Toronto bar is closing its doors next week after nearly 200 years in business.
Austin Hunter Turner died in 2017, on a night that his mother has rewound and replayed again and again, trying to make sense of what happened.
Not getting enough sleep may cause you to feel five to 10 years older than you really are, according to two new studies.
Manhattan prosecutors suggested Friday that Donald Trump violated a gag order in his hush-money criminal case this week by assailing the judge's daughter and making a false claim about her on social media.
Niagara Region says it has declared a state of emergency 'out of an abundance of caution' as it prepares for an influx of visitors for next month’s total solar eclipse.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.