RECEDING coastal fogs may threaten the next generation of California鈥檚 mighty redwoods.
A new analysis of cloud cover over California reveals that fogs are 30 per cent less frequent today than 50 years ago. 鈥淭he large trees intercept the fog, and much of it drips onto the soil, watering young redwoods,鈥� says at the University of California, Berkeley. So far, the mature trees, at least, appear to be coping, but Dawson warns that saplings may soon suffer.
He is hesitant to blame global warming, but notes that warmer seas off California over the past half century have decreased temperature contrasts with overlying warm coastal air, reducing condensation.
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He warns that the foggy climate could move north to states like Oregon and Washington. 鈥淚f the climate changes faster than the redwoods can migrate, we might need to plant them ourselves to save them,鈥� he says (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ).
