Tree canopy over Muddy Branch Creek, North Potomac, Maryland. As warm weather arrives sooner in many parts of the nation due to climate change, forest plants and trees on the banks are expected to flourish, shading the stream from sunlight and causing an overall decrease in productivity in the late spring and summer. A new research paper describes how a small change in canopy cover can dramatically impact a stream. (Credit: Copyright Michele Hogan)ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2009) — A rare April freeze in 2007 provided researchers with further evidence that climate change could have negative effects on stream and forest ecosystems.

As warm weather arrives sooner in many parts of the nation, forest plants and trees on the banks flourish, shading the stream from sunlight and causing an overall decrease in productivity in the late spring and summer. A new research paper describes how a small change in canopy cover can dramatically impact a stream. “The study implies that the algal productivity pulse in the stream that drives the ecosystem during the spring months could be shortened with climate change if leaf-out continues to occur earlier each year,” said ORNL researcher Patrick Mulholland, author of the paper. “The stream no longer gets that period of peak productivity in spring because the leaves are shading the stream when the sun angle is relatively high.” …

Climate Change Could Have Negative Effects On Stream And Forest Ecosystems

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