Friday, September 21, 2007

Good News: Global Warming Helps Rainforests

Actually, they're known as jungles, but ever since we immersed ourselves in PC psychobabble, the jungles became known as rainforests.

Whatever the case, this report notes how global warming, er, climate change, actually is helping the jungles grown more lush.

Of course, it also comes with ominous warnings.
Climate change may lead to lush growth rather than catastrophic tree loss in the Amazonian forests, researchers from the US and Brazil have found. A study, in the journal Science, found that reduced rainfall had led to greener forests, possibly because sunlight levels are higher when there are fewer rainclouds.
Shocking how there's more sunlight when there are fewer clouds. I wouldn't believe it, but the experts say it's so.

Still, there's a big but coming.
But scientists cautioned that while the finding raises hopes for the survival of the forests, there are still serious threats. Climate models have suggested that the forests will suffer as the region becomes drier and will release huge quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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