Despite increased photosynthetic activity at northern latitudes in recent decades, plant productivity in tropical zones suffers because of water limitations.
photosynthesis
Posted inEditors' Highlights
High Climatic Response of High-Latitude Forests
The seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 is increasing, partly due to boreal forest responses to warming. Photosynthesis and expansion of boreal forests are shown here to be temperature-limited.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Most of the Arctic’s Microscopic Algae Are Chilling Under Ice
New research reveals that tiny single-celled organisms in the Arctic Ocean are growing more numerous as climate change thins the ice.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
In Vegetation Growth Studies, What You Measure Matters
Different satellite-based metrics for global vegetation coverage tell complementary, but not identical, stories.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Sunlight Stimulates Brown Algae to Release Organic Carbon
Sargassum and other brown algae might be an underappreciated contributor of organic compounds called polyphenols to the open ocean.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
A Step Closer to Quantifying Global Photosynthesis in Real Time
High spatial and temporal resolutions of a data set on a proxy for plant photosynthesis, as well as contiguous global coverage, have great utility for a variety of applications.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Oceans May Produce Twice as Much Organic Matter as Usually Measured
Researchers study how oceans respire carbon, reexamining a critical part of the global carbon cycle.
Posted inFeatures
Assessing a New Clue to How Much Carbon Plants Take Up
Current climate models disagree on how much carbon dioxide land ecosystems take up for photosynthesis. Tracking the stronger carbonyl sulfide signal could help.
Posted inNews
Air Pollutant Plays Lesser Role in Climate Change Than Expected
Satellite data indicate that pollution control efforts that curbed levels of sulfur dioxide gas did not cause a major decrease in carbon dioxide absorption by plants.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Tropical Cyclones Influence Photosynthesis
A new modeling study gives insight into how tropical cyclones affected ecosystems in the southeastern United States between 2002 and 2012.