PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Land 'evapotranspiration' taking unexpected turn: huge parts of world are drying up

2010-10-11
(Press-News.org) CORVALLIS, Ore. – The soils in large areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including major portions of Australia, Africa and South America, have been drying up in the past decade, a group of researchers conclude in the first major study to ever examine "evapotranspiration" on a global basis.

Most climate models have suggested that evapotranspiration, which is the movement of water from the land to the atmosphere, would increase with global warming. The new research, published online this week in the journal Nature, found that's exactly what was happening from 1982 to the late 1990s.

But in 1998, this significant increase in evapotranspiration – which had been seven millimeters per year – slowed dramatically or stopped. In large portions of the world, soils are now becoming drier than they used to be, releasing less water and offsetting some moisture increases elsewhere.

Due to the limited number of decades for which data are available, scientists say they can't be sure whether this is a natural variability or part of a longer-lasting global change. But one possibility is that on a global level, a limit to the acceleration of the hydrological cycle on land has already been reached.

If that's the case, the consequences could be serious.

They could include reduced terrestrial vegetation growth, less carbon absorption, a loss of the natural cooling mechanism provided by evapotranspiration, more heating of the land surface, more intense heat waves and a "feedback loop" that could intensify global warming.

"This is the first time we've ever been able to compile observations such as this for a global analysis," said Beverly Law, a professor of global change forest science at Oregon State University. Law is co-author of the study and science director of the AmeriFlux network of 100 research sites, which is one major part of the FLUXNET synthesis that incorporates data from around the world.

"We didn't expect to see this shift in evapotranspiration over such a large area of the Southern Hemisphere," Law said. "It is critical to continue such long-term observations, because until we monitor this for a longer period of time, we can't be sure why this is occurring."

Some of the areas with the most severe drying include southeast Africa, much of Australia, central India, large parts of South America, and some of Indonesia. Most of these regions are historically dry, but some are actually tropical rain forests.

The rather abrupt change from increased global evapotranspiration to a near halt in this process coincided with a major El Nino event in 1998, the researchers note in their report, but they are not suggesting that is a causative mechanism for a phenomenon that has been going on for more than a decade now.

Greater evapotranspiration was expected with global warming, because of increased evaporation of water from the ocean and more precipitation overall. And data indeed show that some areas are wetter than they used to be.

However, other huge areas are now drying out, the study showed. This could lead to increased drought stress on vegetation and less overall productivity, Law said, and as a result less carbon absorbed, less cooling through evapotranspiration, and more frequent or extreme heat waves.

Some of the sites used in this study are operated by Law's research group in the central Oregon Cascade Range in the Metolius River watershed, and they are consistent with some of these concerns. In the last decade there have been multiple years of drought, vegetative stress, and some significant forest fires in that area.

Evapotranspiration returns about 60 percent of annual precipitation back to the atmosphere, in the process using more than half of the solar energy absorbed by land surfaces. This is a key component of the global climate system, linking the cycling of water with energy and carbon cycles.

Longer term observations will be needed to determine if these changes are part of decadal-scale variability or a longer-term shift in global climate, the researchers said.

### This study was authored by a large group of international scientists, including from OSU; lead author Martin Jung from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany; and researchers from the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science in Switzerland, Princeton University, the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, Harvard University, and other groups and agencies.

The regional networks, such as AmeriFlux, CarboEurope, and the FLUXNET synthesis effort, have been supported by numerous funding agencies around the world, including the Department of Energy, NASA, National Science Foundation, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States.

Editor's Note: The study citation is: Jung, M., M. Reichstein, P. Ciais, S.I. Seneviratne, J. Sheffield, M.L. Goulden, G. Bonan, A. Cescatti, J. Chen, R. de Jeu, A.J. Dolman, W. Eugster, D. Gerten, D. Gianelle, N. Gobron, J. Heinke, J. Kimball, B.E. Law, L. Montagnani, Q. Mu, B. Mueller, K. Oleson, D. Papale, A.D. Richardson, O. Roupsard, S.W. Running, E. Tomelleri, N. Viovy, U. Weber, C. Williams, E. Wood, S. Zaehle, K. Zhang. 2010. A recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply. Nature xxxx: xxx-xxx. DOI 10.1038/nature09396.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers develop oral delivery system to treat inflammatory bowel diseases

Researchers develop oral delivery system to treat inflammatory bowel diseases
2010-10-11
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have developed a novel approach for delivering small bits of genetic material into the body to improve the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Delivering short strands of RNA into cells has become a popular research area because of its potential therapeutic applications, but how to deliver them into targeted cells in a living organism has been an obstacle. In the Oct. 10 advance online edition of the journal Nature Materials, researchers describe how they encapsulated short pieces of RNA into ...

Screen time linked to psychological problems in children

2010-10-11
Children who spend longer than two hours in front of a computer or television screen are more likely to suffer psychological difficulties, regardless of how physically active they are. The PEACH project, a study of over a 1,000 children aged between ten and 11, measured the time children spent in front of a screen as well as their psychological well being. In addition, an activity monitor recorded both children's sedentary time and moderate physical activity. The results showed that more than two hours per day of both television viewing and recreational computer use ...

Insurance and socioeconomic status do not explain racial disparities in breast cancer care

2010-10-11
Racial disparities in the receipt of breast cancer care persist despite accounting for patients' insurance and social and economic status. That is the conclusion of a study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings suggest that greater efforts are needed to better understand disparities in breast cancer care and to ensure that all affected women receive equal and effective treatments. Studies have demonstrated that black and Hispanic women are less likely to receive recommended breast cancer treatments than ...

Half the productivity, twice the carbon

2010-10-11
Unless the IT industry adopts new energy-efficient technologies in the coming decade, it runs a serious risk of being unable to contribute to growing the global economy if limits are placed on carbon emissions. The findings come from an 18-month investigation by scholars at the Institute for Sustainable and Applied Infodynamics (ISAID) in Singapore and Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston. "In the face of growing global concerns over greenhouse carbon emission, the key for the industry is finding new technologies that deliver more performance ...

When in Rome: Study-abroad students increase alcohol intake

2010-10-11
For most American students, spending a semester or two studying in a foreign country means the opportunity to improve foreign language skills and become immersed in a different culture. For others, studying abroad is more like a prolonged spring break: it can be months with fewer academic responsibilities, plentiful bars and alcohol, and parents far away. New results from University of Washington researchers point to why some students drink more alcohol while abroad and suggest ways to intervene. "We hear stories in the media and elsewhere about students going abroad, ...

UT Southwestern study to determine whether leptin helps type 1 diabetes patients

2010-10-11
DALLAS – Oct. 11, 2010 – A clinical trial at UT Southwestern Medical Center aims to determine whether adding the hormone leptin to standard insulin therapy might help rein in the tumultuous blood-sugar levels of people with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. This is the first type 1 diabetes treatment trial involving leptin, which is naturally produced by fat cells and involved in body-weight regulation. For this study, UT Southwestern researchers will be using metreleptin, a slightly modified form of the hormone that has been well-tolerated in other clinical trials. "Leptin ...

Study finds monarch butterflies use medicinal plants to treat offspring for disease

2010-10-11
Monarch butterflies appear to use medicinal plants to treat their offspring for disease, research by biologists at Emory University shows. Their findings were published online Oct. 6 in the journal Ecology Letters. "We have shown that some species of milkweed, the larva's food plants, can reduce parasite infection in the monarchs," says Jaap de Roode, the evolutionary biologist who led the study. "And we have also found that infected female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on plants that will make their offspring less sick, suggesting that monarchs have evolved the ...

Colorado Cleantech Industry Association Announces Finalists for Inaugural 'Colorado Cleantech Awards Celebration'

2010-10-11
The Colorado Cleantech Industry Association(CCIA) has released names of the finalists for its inaugural "Colorado Cleantech Awards Celebration" recognition event, honoring leadership in advancing cleantech. "Winners will be announced at our now officially sold-out event on Tuesday, October 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Denver Marriott City Center," Christine Shapard, CCIA Executive Director announces, "We're extremely pleased to share the twenty finalists who emerged from our statewide call for nominations." CCIA - Leadership in Advancing Cleantech Awards - Finalists: * ...

Chasing Arrows Live at Olivia's at the Point

2010-10-11
Chasing Arrows is a group of like-minded musicians that have integrated varied musical influences into a seamless dynamic whole. They have played the last several years up and down the East Coast for numerous enthusiastic audiences while sharing the stage with many notable acts including The Plain White T's, Carbon Leaf, Days Difference, Uh Huh Her and Vertical Horizon to name but a few. And to top it off, they were selected as first runner up for the MTVU Best Music on Campus Woodie Award in a competition that eliminated literally thousands of bands across the nation and ...

Excelsior SEO Helping Small Business Succeed

2010-10-11
Excelsior SEO a Houston, Texas based Search Engine Optimization company announces a new service to help small businesses succeed with their online marketing efforts. The goal of this service is to provide a SEO service that the business needs, at a price the average business owner can afford. The Webpage Optimization Service is intended for small to mid-size companies to help get them noticed by search engines in their local markets. This service optimizes a clients website page for submission to search engines, local directories, and social media sites so that they ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

How can we reduce adolescent pregnancies in low- and middle-income countries?

When sun protection begets malnutrition: vitamin D deficiency in Japanese women

Cannabis use can cause chromosomal damage, increasing cancer risk and harming offspring

Survey finds many Americans apply misguided and counterproductive advice to combat holiday weight gain

New study reveals half a century of change on Britain’s iconic limestone pavements

Green flight paths could unlock sustainable aviation, new research suggests

Community partners key to success of vaccine clinic focused on neurodevelopmental conditions

Low-carbon collaborative dual-layer optimization for energy station considering joint electricity and heat demand response

McMaster University researchers uncover potential treatment for rare genetic disorders

The return of protectionism: The impact of the Sino-US trade war

UTokyo and NARO develop new vertical seed distribution trait for soybean breeding

Research into UK’s use of plastic packaging finds households ‘wishcycle’ rather than recycle – risking vast contamination

Vaccine shows promise against aggressive breast cancer

Adverse events affect over 1 in 3 surgery patients, US study finds

Outsourcing adult social care has contributed to England’s care crisis, argue experts

The Lancet: Over 800 million adults living with diabetes, more than half not receiving treatment, global study suggests

New therapeutic approach for severe COVID-19: faster recovery and reduction in mortality

Plugged wells and reduced injection lower induced earthquake rates in Oklahoma

Yin selected as a 2024 American Society of Agronomy Fellow

Long Covid could cost the economy billions every year

Bluetooth technology unlocks urban animal secrets

This nifty AI tool helps neurosurgeons find sneaky cancer cells

Treatment advances, predictive biomarkers stand to improve bladder cancer care

NYC's ride-hailing fee failed to ease Manhattan traffic, new NYU Tandon study reveals

Meteorite contains evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago

Self-reported screening helped reduce distressing symptoms for pediatric patients with cancer

Which risk factors are linked to having a severe stroke?

Opening borders for workers: Abe’s profound influence on Japan’s immigration regime

How skills from hospitality and tourism can propel careers beyond the industry

Research shows managers of firms handling recalls should review media scrutiny before deciding whether to lobby

[Press-News.org] Land 'evapotranspiration' taking unexpected turn: huge parts of world are drying up