drought – Page 2 – envirobites

From bad to worse: nitrogen deposition amplifies negative impacts of drought in California’s biodiversity hotspots

October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 Pernilla Borgstrom 0 Comments Climate Change, coastal sage scrub, drought, nitrogen deposition

The release of excess nitrogen into nature, for example through fossil fuel combustion, still gets relatively little attention in the public debate about biodiversity threats, especially compared to climate change and habitat destruction. But human-driven nitrogen increases in natural ecosystems demand our attention, as they can worsen the negative effects of climate change in biodiversity hotspots, and threaten some already endangered species.

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Thirsty trees are more susceptible to damaging beetle infestation

October 9, 2017October 9, 2017 Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis 0 Comments alpine forests, beetle outbreak, Climate Change, drought, long-term monitoring, satellite data

Summer, winter, and multi-year drought events initiate outbreaks of the damaging spruce beetle. Droughts suppress the ability of trees to produce chemicals to defend themselves against the fatal bugs.