Can Fossil Leaves Predict Climate Change? скачать в хорошем качестве

Can Fossil Leaves Predict Climate Change?

Looking at fossilized leaves can allow us to better quantify the effect of CO2 on past climates, enabling improved projections of future environmental modifications and climate change. Watch this video to learn how you can help this process directly! TRY IT YOURSELF ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ To help out, please go to: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/l... FOLLOW US ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀   / sciencetosavetheworld     / sciencetosavetheworld   https://www.lifespan.io/science-to-sa... DESCRIPTION ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Earth's climate is remarkably sensitive to carbon dioxide or co2 this sensitivity has enormous economic and societal implications climate change already affects sea level ambient temperature food production storm strength water availability and many other things and it's getting worse can fossil leaves help us better quantify the effect of co2 on climate enabling improved projections of future environmental change Extensive research shows that co2 concentration in the atmosphere significantly influences earth's climate to study this influence researchers build climate proxies that attempt to reconstruct past climates one climate proxy for co2 concentration a stomatal index comes from plants it measures the number of stomata tiny gas exchange holes on the leaf surface relative to the number of ordinary cells plants live by photosynthesis making energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide as part of this process leaves absorb co2 and release oxygen and water through their stomata which are regulated by special guard cells When these cells open the stomata co2 diffuses into the leaf and oxygen and water diffuse out plants constantly regulate this exchange by opening and closing the stomata experiments have shown that each leaf has an optimal number of stomata called its stomatal index which produces the most effective control of gas exchange the optimal number of stomata depends on several different environmental factors co2 is the known dominant factor we currently know less about the role of temperature and humidity if scientists can determine exactly how ste model indices relate to these different environmental factors they can then count the stomatal index of a fossil leaf and use it to determine the conditions in which it grew almost like a time traveling detective ultimately they will use the stomatal index from many leaf specimens collected from different places and geologic time periods to reconstruct a record of how the environment changed through time the paleocene eocene thermal maximum or petm which occurred about 56 million years ago is a period of particular interest during this period volcanoes poured huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere causing the average temperature of the planet to rise rapidly by about five to nine degrees celsius scientists widely recognize the petm as the best geological analog for the human induced global warming that is happening now if we could better determine from the fossil record how rising co2 and temperature affected plants and animals in the petm we could better understand how life on earth will respond to current climate change scientists from the smithsonian environmental research center and national museum of natural history are studying ginkgo trees an ancient species over 300 million years old one species of ginkgo is still alive today the species is highly resilient and has survived three mass extinctions including the one that did in the dinosaurs because ginkgo trees have a 300 million year fossil record they are an ideal climate change study subject to better compare results these scientists are also conducting present day studies of ginkgos and specific co2 concentrations to see how they respond this is where you come in you can help by counting the stomatal index from images of fossil ginkgo leaves with your help scientists can collect far more data than they would be able to otherwise follow the links below the video to see how you can help like follow subscribe and catch us next time to see how you plus science can help save the world. HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US? ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Science to Save the World is a project of LEAF / Lifespan.io, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. ► Support us with monthly donations by becoming a Lifespan Hero: https://www.lifespan.io/hero​ ► Subscribe:    / lifespanio​   ► Learn more, and help us: https://www.lifespan.io​ #fossils #CO2 #climatechange #globalwarming #leaves #plants #photosynthesis #stomata #atmosphere #environmental