Amazon rainforest trees are getting bigger due to climate crisis, study finds

"Trees across the Amazon rainforest are growing larger in response to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to a major new study. The research, published in the Nature Plants journal, found that the average size of trees in the Amazon has increased by 3.2 per cent every decade for at least the past 30 years. Scientists say the trend is consistent with the fertilising effect of higher concentrations of CO2, which can boost plant growth."

"The findings come from the RAINFOR network, an international partnership of more than 60 universities in South America, the UK and elsewhere, including the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds. Almost 100 scientists monitored trees across 188 permanent forest plots to build the long-term dataset. Trees across the Amazon rainforest are growing larger in response to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (AP)"

Trees across the Amazon rainforest are increasing in average size in response to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Average tree size rose by 3.2 per cent every decade for at least the past 30 years. The trend aligns with the fertilising effect of higher CO2 concentrations that can boost plant growth. Data derive from the RAINFOR network, a partnership of more than 60 universities across South America, the UK and elsewhere. Almost 100 scientists monitored trees across 188 permanent forest plots to build the long-term dataset. The research was published in Nature Plants.

Read at www.independent.co.uk