Particulate matter increases drought vulnerability of trees
Monday, July 16, 2018 - 09:12
in Earth & Climate
Particulate matter deposits on leaves increase plant transpiration and the risk of plants suffering from drought. Particulate matter could thus be contributing more strongly to tree mortality and forest decline than previously assumed. This is suggested by results from a greenhouse study led by the University of Bonn, in which tree seedlings grown in almost particulate matter free air or in unfiltered air were compared. The results are now being published in Environmental Research Letters.