AI Article Synopsis
- Research shows that forests can modify local temperatures, acting as a thermal insulator rather than simply warming the environment.
- Measurements were taken at 98 sites worldwide, comparing temperatures under tree canopies with those in open areas.
- The study found that forests cool the understory during hot conditions and warm it during cold conditions, especially under extreme temperatures, which may help protect forest biodiversity from warming effects.
Article Abstract
Macroclimate warming is often assumed to occur within forests despite the potential for tree cover to modify microclimates. Here, using paired measurements, we compared the temperatures under the canopy versus in the open at 98 sites across 5 continents. We show that forests function as a thermal insulator, cooling the understory when ambient temperatures are hot and warming the understory when ambient temperatures are cold. The understory versus open temperature offset is magnified as temperatures become more extreme and is of greater magnitude than the warming of land temperatures over the past century. Tree canopies may thus reduce the severity of warming impacts on forest biodiversity and functioning.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0842-1 | DOI Listing |
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