An article that appeared on Biology News Net reports that a mummified forest was discovered in Northern Canada and that discovery is helping scientists understand how plants struggled to deal with global cooling long ago. The researchers have decided that the mummified plants and trees will help them predict how today’s plant life in the Arctic will respond to global warming. Scientists actually think that more forests could emerge across North America as the Arctic ice starts to melt. The exposure of the wood to air would cause it to release large amounts of methane gas and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which could actually boost global warming. This research also shows how the old plant life’s environment changed. Researchers were able to gather that the mummified plant life started growing in a warm and fertile environment, but then had to endure a decline in light and temperature.
I thought that this article was very interesting. I did not even know that there was such a thing as mummified forests. The fact that they can be just as destructive as they are helpful is something that really fascinates scientists as well as people.
Wow, I didn't know there were such things as mummified forests either! And,'more forests could emerge across North America as the Artic ice starts to melt' --one would think this is a good thing but I found it interesting to see that this could actually 'boost' global warming. Who would have thought? Great article!
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