I am proud to note that Ohio State University is involved in this discovery! http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...nt-arctic-forest-offers-clues-to-warming.html
Indeed. Have tried, unsuccessfully, to locate further and more detailed information on the American Geophysical Union site...Ron, I daresay that you would get better results. http://www.agu.org
Well, Elsmere Island is right next to Axel Heiberg Island where the trees were identified as predominently a type of Dawn Redwood which they list the scientific name as Metasequoia occidentalis (Newberry) R.W.Chaney in 1951. Prior to this they had only found fossil Dawn Redwoods in the rocks, but these were actual mummified trees with real wood cellulose that would burn in a fire. Larch, fir, pine and others were also found along with their leaves, cones branches twigs etc. In fact they found massive layers of what looked like fresh forest floor litter. You might check out some of the info on Hope Jahren's personal and academic website out of Hawaii. Jahren's Lab Hope Jahren and Leonel Silveira Lobo Sternberg were the first to do the Isotope studies on these real wood tissues samples. Incredibly they learned alot about the climate and water cycle from the findings. They contained strictly Oxygen-16 and zero Oxygen-18 which is the heavier isotope. They couldn't begin to understand why the lack of rainfall off oceans was clearly missing. They theorized tropical monsoonal air must have moved over land from the Gulf of Mexico and fell as rain in thunderstorms which would account for an Oxygen-16 chemical signature since it is water influenced from the earth like from Springs, lakes, rivers, etc.. The island is loaded with large stump fields where the trees actually lived and grew. The largest was over 3 meters in diameter and the longest log estimated around 26 meters. The Baldwin Lake formation is where all the logs (they estimate around 10,000) were snapped off in a catastrophic Mega-Sunami event and buried in silt, gravel and sand. One research paper from a Canadian University mentioned the actual findings of an entire beaver dam along with the skeletons of a beaver and a crocodile like creature. Palm fossils were also found. Seemed to have been very biodiverse. It seems that this catastrophic event instantly and radically changed the climate because everything died instantly and was flash frozen until our wonderful global warming phenomena has gradually revealed it to us by the melting of those glaciers.. If I can find the links and numerous pics, then I'll post them tomorrow.
Okay what the heck. Here are a few of the pics which you should enjoy. http://www.palaeobiology.org.uk/images/axelheiberg.jpg You'll notice the stump field here and the hill behind with the characteristic lake terracing as the waters receded from the event. http://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/arctic/f1.jpg Next pic is leaf litter along with cones and seeds. http://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/arctic/Fig3.jpg http://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/arctic/Fig4.jpg Next is a well piece of preserved wood with perfect rings indicating that water each season was dependable and reliable. I've notice this same anomalie in rock fossil wood where the rings were clearly defined. Probably not the rule everywhere, but still an interesting observation. I took the pics from this site, but it has quite a bit of explanation and species identities. http://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/arctic/appb.html http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/media/edu/EN/uploads/image/picture3_1.jpg
For further reading on some of the detailed scientific data, here is a paper of Hope Jahren's personal research page at the University of Hawaii. It's a bit wordy in an intellect speak sort of way, but i believe it has enough storyline for layman readers to enjoy. http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/FACULTY/jahren/pdfs/JahrenArcticReview2007.pdf National Geographic interview and I'll post some of the more relevant material dealing with climate. It's important because this chemcial signature of water has a profound effect on plant growth no matter how you obtain it. Here's a few short paragraphs: She is correct about one thing and that is that monsoonal moisture moving northwards from Mexico and failing as thunderstorm rains does have sime amazing chemical properties and effect on not only ALL plant growth, but also fungal fruiting bodies which pop up almost immediately afterwards. I use to collect Pisolithus tinctorius for PHC inc back in the 1990s, and after the first monsoonal rains, the potential for collection was highest. Winter/spring rains from the west off the oceans never had this effect in all my twentyfour years in the So-Cal high desert areas, though there would be some fruiting after winter. This same phenomena of mushroom fruiting has been observed by Africans hunting for Kalahari truffles. I've also experienced and observed this same plant growth explosion over here in Sweden where I reside presently. ONLY after a thunderstorm which here is extremely rare, tho rain can unfortunately be a constant nuisance. Anyway, enjoy the articles. BTW, this find is very similiar to another article posted here back in 2007 about redwood finds in Hungary. Here it is posted from Aussiebob: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=29712
That will be related more to soil (and rain) temperature, than chemistry. Warm wet soil (15-20°) greatly speeds up fungal growth, compared to winter rain and snowmelt, little above freezing (0-5°).
Actually Mike it has more to do with greater separation of water molecules[ever heard the term "wetter water" or "Wetting agents" ]which is what happens in electrical storms and through a process known as electrolysis. Ever heard of any of this effect ? If the molecules are more loosely bonded into smaller clusters, then of course soil and nutrient disolving action would be more readily absorbed by the various organisms. Right down to the tiny beneficial bacteria which fascilitate break downs of material for availability to plants. I actually work with a group of researchers associated with "Institute of Ecological Technology" who work on science and research related to the way things actually work in the natural world and what applicable technologies we can derive from observation and reseach we have OBSERVED with our own eyes. We had yet another conference this summer in Malmö, Sweden and several new applications have been refined in some of our inventions. I may open another thread in the correct subject heading on a couple of the companies who base their research on the man, Viktor Schauberger who was a forester and self taught physicist in Austria. He was born and died between 1885 and 1959. He had incredible insight on a natural world which to be honest no longer exists. The above mentioned research group bases their technologies on principles of physical phenomena Viktor Schauberger discovered in healthy old growth forest environments. On a side note, here is a link to Tom Volk's[Department of Biology - University of Wisconsin] website where Lightning is mentioned as having a profound effect on truffle formation. Though he trends towards a chemcial cocktail of sorts that may have some slight merit, I still have never been able to create my own favourite natural plant elixer which would cause an exact response even remotely similiar to the effects created by rain accompanied and structured by the electrical effects of lightning. I'll have a look around for the correct sub-forum. Thanks for the interest.
