Only tree on remote island may support climate change research

Published:

6 Sep 2022 20:22 GMT

The tree, which has a Guinness record for being the most remote in the world, was planted in 1907 and has managed to survive all these years despite the inclement weather suffered by the island.

A group of scientists from the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science), located in New Zealand, revealed that the ‘loneliest tree in the world’ could help understand the impact of climate change effects on the Southern Ocean, pick up this Monday local media.

According to researcher Jocelyn Turnbull, this body of water, which completely surrounds Antarctica, is the most important site to study the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the winds that come from the west, as well as the lack of land that stops these air currents. “That wind drives this huge overturning of the water, bringing deep water to the surface and mixing, which allows the ocean to absorb more carbon than other areas that are not as dynamic,” Turnbull said.

Although the Southern Ocean can absorb around 10% of the CO2 emissions generated worldwide, there are questions about whether the amount of gas absorbed by this ocean has changed recently. “We really want to understand it because that tells us what the future holds,” he said.

The scientist explained that it was necessary to compare old and current radiocarbon measurements to find out changes in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere surrounding the Southern Ocean.

A tree could be the answer you are looking for in your investigation

However, Turnbull explained that there was a drawback with respect to the measurements of previous years, since these were not collected at the time. But he pointed out that tree growth rings can provide the required data.

“Every year, you have a ring that you can distinguish. You can cut through those rings and measure the radiocarbon, and then we can go back in time to see how the Southern Ocean has been changing,” he said.

The researchers chose Campbell Island, located 700 kilometers south of New Zealand, because the closest tree to the Southern Ocean is found there. It is a Sitka spruce tree that is nine meters high and that can provide the group of scientists with the information required for their investigation.

The tree, which has a Guinness record for being the most remote in the world, was planted in 1907 and has managed to survive all these years despite the inclement weather suffered by the island. In 2016, Turnbull extracted a five-millimeter core sample from the tree. However, he has not yet published the findings of his study.

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