Filed Under: [ Off Topic (but worth your time) ]
Knowledge is Power!
Recent research suggests that in our warming world, devastating hurricanes, like Katrina, may become more common. The new study, detailed in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Science, adds another element to this dilemma, suggesting that the damage these hurricanes cause may actually fuel global warming due to the loss of carbon-consuming trees.
Tulane University researchers estimated the number of trees felled by Katrina using satellite imagery taken before and after the storm. Forest trees act as a carbon sink, sucking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to provide themselves with food. Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the major driver of global warming.
When trees are destroyed, they decay, returning the carbon stored inside them to the atmosphere.”*
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