Snowpack declines may stunt tree growth and forests' ability to store carbon emissions

ScienceNews

Hoar frost coats trees of the boreal forest in Manitoba, Canada. 

A PinP photo.

Researchers conducting a 5-year-long study examining snow cover in a northern hardwood forest region found that projected changes in climate could lead to a 95 percent reduction of deep-insulating snowpack in forest areas across the northeastern United States by the end of the 21st century. The loss of snowpack would likely result in a steep reduction of forests' ability to store climate-changing carbon dioxide and filter pollutants from the air and water. Story here.