African Savanna Grasses Grow 28% Faster as Rising CO2 Boosts Water Efficiency
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 21
African Savanna Grasses Grow 28% Faster as Rising CO2 Boosts Water Efficiency
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 21
Summary
A 30-year analysis from South Africa’s Kruger National Park found savanna grass production rose 28% between 1989 and 2021, with researchers attributing the increase to higher atmospheric CO2.
The Nature study said the gain could not be explained by rainfall, temperature, grazing or fire; instead, extra CO2 appears to help grasses use water more efficiently and keep growing through dry spells.
That challenges the long-held view that savanna grasses benefit little from carbon fertilization because they already use an efficient photosynthetic pathway.
More grass could intensify wildfires by adding fuel and increase forage for grazing animals, while much of the extra carbon may return quickly to the atmosphere if the biomass is burned or eaten.
If rising CO2 makes African savanna grasses grow significantly faster, could this unexpected greening trigger catastrophic wildfires instead of fighting climate change?
Scientists previously thought these grasses wouldn't benefit from more CO2, so what other hidden ecosystem time bombs are we missing as emissions rise?
With extra carbon fueling explosive grass growth in dry regions, how will park managers prevent newfound wildlife forage from becoming unstoppable wildfire fuel?