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Vegetation takes longer to recover from drought: Study

Tourists visiting a forest in Russia on July 18, 2015. ©AFP

It takes a longer time for trees and other vegetation to recover from extreme drought than previously thought, a new study shows.

The results of the study by the journal Science published on Thursday show that trees actually took two to four years to resume normal growth rates after droughts ended, while previous climate models had shown that forests bounced back rapidly after periods of severe water shortage.

The new study added that during this prolonged recovery period, forests can store less carbon dioxide than completely healthy forests, thus accelerating climate change.

Plants play an important role in stemming the effects of climate change by storing carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions released by human activity, the research said.

"If forests are not as good at taking up carbon dioxide, this means climate change would speed up," said William Anderegg, the lead author of the study.

Scientists also warned that climate impacts could be detrimental, with more and harsher dry spells predicted.

"This really matters because in the future droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change," said Anderegg, adding, "Some forests could be in a race to recover before the next drought strikes."

The study also warned of the negative impact of higher temperatures.

"The fact that temperatures are going up suggests quite strongly that the western regions of the US are going to have more frequent and more severe droughts, substantially reducing forests' ability to pull carbon from the atmosphere," Anderegg stated.


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