NASA - Warmer Winters Fuelling Insect Explosion In N. American Forests

[hatrack]

Insects whose populations are booming because of local warming - possibly due to global warming - appear to be devouring huge swathes of forest in western Canada and Alaska. Forests in Europe and Siberia may also be under threat. This could lead to a vicious cycle where reduced forest cover leads to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, producing further climate change.

Chris Potter, an ecologist at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, US, and colleagues analysed satellite images collected by NASA's Global Disturbances project to determine how the cover of tree canopies and other vegetation has changed over time.

Nineteen years of satellite data ending in 2000 revealed a remarkable loss of greenness from the forested region that extends from the US-Canadian border in western Canada all the way to Alaska. The researchers found evidence for rapid defoliation over the brief period from 1995 to 2000. "It's the kind of thing we see when an area entirely burns up," says Potter. "If they aren't dead, these trees are going to be dead very soon."

EDIT

After studying forestry reports for the area and conferring with local experts, Potter's team concluded that the massive die-off was the result of two small creatures - the mountain pine beetle and the spruce budworm - killing leaves on a mammoth scale. Both insects are common in these types of forests, but normally the harsh winters keep a check on their populations. However, during this 19-year period the region experienced some of the mildest winters on record, and Potter believes that this spared unprecedented numbers of bugs from freezing and allowed them to thrive in huge numbers in the spring. "Conventional wisdom is that bugs are part of the system and may be good for the forest," says Potter. "But this looks like something new happening on a huge scale. It's a sudden shift into a new kind of forest condition.”

EDIT

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996788

[blindpig]

1. not to worry

once the bugs kill most all of the trees they'll die off and equilibrium will be reached. Of course, we'll die off too.

[MatrixEscape]

2. Jesus will

recreate it all after the Rapture, so no big deal. It's just your average, run-of-the-mill pestilence.

Move along, there is nothing to see here. This has NOTHING to do with big corporations, pollution, consumerism, etc.

"In Heaven, everything is fine!" - Lady in the Radiator

[StClone]

3. Good insects (Pollinators) disappearing

Destructive Spruce Bud Worm, Mountain Pine Beetle, Gypsy moth and Japanese Beetle are increasing. First one actually has a very positive influence on North American Wood Warbler populations.