Drought: Plants absorb less CO2 from the air
environment
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has changed significantly over the past two years due to climate change, as measurements by the Sonnblick Observatory now show. According to this, plants absorbed less carbon dioxide from the air during the dry weeks and months last summer than before.
Meteorologists have been measuring the concentration of CO2 in the air on the Sonnblick for 20 years. They use the collected data to calculate an annual cycle. Accordingly, the carbon dioxide concentration in the air is higher in winter and lower in summer.
From spring onwards, plants convert CO2 into oxygen
With the awakening of vegetation in spring, plants convert a lot of CO2 concentration into oxygen by summer. In autumn, the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere rises again because the plants die.
Drought: Plants can store less CO2
However, due to extreme weather conditions that are always recorded, such as drought, plants in this country can store less carbon dioxide and this is also reflected in the current measurement data, says measurement technician Gerhard Schauer from the Sonnblick Observatory: have distinguished precipitation. When there has been precipitation it has mostly been in the form of torrential rain, but generally there have been dry spells over a delayed period.”
CO2 concentration cycles could also change
However, meteorologists now also fear that the C02 concentration cycles will continue to change as a result of the weather extremes.