Trees Call for Help
Article: Trees Call for Help-- And Now Scientists Can Understand
Scientists have now discovered trees can 'tell' us when they are suffering in drought. Scientists do this by collecting the the ultrasonic noise made by bubbles forming inside the tree.
They have distinguished which types of sounds are most worrisome and can use this data to determine whether a tree is in need of emergency watering.
The way these bubbles form is from the extreme pressure in the xylem that builds up because of how tall the tree is. This can cause a water column in drought-stricken trees to break. This lets dissolved water form bubbles that block the passage of water. This is called a cavitation, which kill trees.
Sounds come from the bubbles inside trees depending on the type of event that is occurring. This is because different events make different patterns of sound waves, all of which humans cannot hear with the 'naked' ear.
This information is important because scientists can possibly develop technology that will let us know if a tree is under stress from drought or not. And with global warming occurring, there will be much more drought world wide. This type of tool could prove useful in protecting all different species of tree around the world.
-Terra Swan
this seems like an awesome concept to me, but I don't really know how practical it would be to take sound readings for every individual tree to see whether it is more affected by the drought then it's neighbor. If there were a drought, where would all the water needed to water the tree come from? would that cause a drought in that area?
ReplyDeleteThis is super interesting and new information to me. I am glad to have the link to expand my knowledge on the subject. I think it's an interesting take on understanding trees better.
ReplyDeleteIt puts me in awe to think about how intricate and delicate the balance of life and death can be to where the rate at which a molecule of water passes a membrane can shatter the balance. But that might just be the lack of sleep talking ;)
ReplyDelete