Trees did not sequester as much extra carbon as earlier, simple models predicted. The surprise wasn’t the result but why this happened.
……
In places where warmth and vapor pressure deficit climbed (air’s “drying power”), trees protected their plumbing by closing stomata more often – muting or canceling any CO2-driven growth bump.
Where moisture buffered the heat, gains were more likely to show up.
That reconciliation doesn’t mean carbon enrichment never boosts growth. It means the size, and even the direction, of that boost depends on the local balance of carbon supply and water demand.
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Summary:
Trees did not sequester as much extra carbon as earlier, simple models predicted. The surprise wasn’t the result but why this happened.
……
In places where warmth and vapor pressure deficit climbed (air’s “drying power”), trees protected their plumbing by closing stomata more often – muting or canceling any CO2-driven growth bump.
Where moisture buffered the heat, gains were more likely to show up.
That reconciliation doesn’t mean carbon enrichment never boosts growth. It means the size, and even the direction, of that boost depends on the local balance of carbon supply and water demand.