Has anyone else noticed the leaves on the trees getting bigger?

Question

From my research regarding CO2 and Plants:

http://www.purgit.com/co2ok.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071219105808.htm

http://www.epa.gov/sequestration/faq.html

I started to think about the trees around my apartment complex and specifically the leaves. And I realized they are getting to be a lot larger.

Pantagruel - "Did you know that most life on Earth is what is called"Carbon based"?" - Yes I know most life on earth is called a "Carbon Based" life form. It's just that some people's answers make you wonder what they learned in school.

Like this one: "Wow not only does increased greenhouse gas and CO2 not cause global warming but the CO2 is good for the environment. This is most likely either not real or signed by people from the coal, oil and gas industries. Besides its just a petition, anyone can sign it as the link suggests. It is not scientists its just a petition."

Clearly this person sees CO2 as harmful to everything and to me doesn't understand anything about the carbon cycle.

Gwens - I was recalling the leaves I saw in the fall. But thanks for showing your true colors.

Gwens - The article Iin my link was written in 2007 where yours was written in 2006. They must have found their original data to be incorrect.

Now this is an interesting article:

"In 1998, an experimental 10-year-old sweetgum plantation in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Environmental Research Park showed a 35% increase in growth over a nearby control stand of trees. More wood was produced in the test forest's tree trunks and more fine roots grew in the soil. The 15-m-tall sweetgum trees in the plantation's 25-m-diameter plots grew more because they were being exposed to air containing 50% more carbon dioxide (CO2) than is in the atmosphere, thanks to free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) technology."

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v33_2_00/tree_growth.htm

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=9723&pf=1&cg_id=0

Eureka - I found it!!!

"Spatial effects of elevated [CO2] were also marked and increased final leaf size resulted from an effect on leaf area, but not leaf length, demonstrating changed leaf shape in response to [CO2]."

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=166798

Jeff - I found wonderful photographs of forests but none of them are date stamped. But the last article I found does have an image of three leaves from the same tree species and the leaves go from small to large.

Answer 1

History shows that life on earth prospers best during the warming periods.

I guess I don't pay attention to leaf sizes. Either way, when plants thrive, so does all of the planet's lifeforms.

The ice core samples show that during the warming periods, there's a steady increase in CO2 produced. This is further evidence that warming periods are good for the planet.

The only problem is that the latest statistics may show that the warming is already slowing and we might be going back into another cooling period. I sure hope not. I like global warming better than global cooling.

Of course, these climatologists and environmental scientists etc are all just guessing. No one really knows how it all works. Many like to think they're experts, but even the best climate models are proven wrong every year. I guess it takes too much humility to admit we just don't have all the answers.

Answer 2

I haven't noticed the leaves getting any bigger (it is winter after all), but I have noticed the manure getting deeper. Did you happen to look at the other links in your Sciencedaily link? You'll find this one- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060412204831.htm
Now what does your research tell you about phosphorous?

Edit: You said, "The article Iin my link was written in 2007 where yours was written in 2006. They must have found their original data to be incorrect."
Oh my, where to begin. You really don't read the links do you.
Well anyway, here's another.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/8/14/14546/1396
You are forgetting that phosphorous is the limiting factor. You can have 100% CO2 and plenty of nitrogen, but if the plant doesn't have phosphorous it can't grow. It's like a rich man alone in the desert. He has lots of money to buy water, but if there is no water to buy he still dies of thirst. So where do the plants get this phosphorous. Then there's water, with ground water being depleted and marginal areas becoming drier, all the CO2 in the world won't grow food.

Answer 3

That is right . The poison Ivy here in Texas has much larger leaves and the toxin is more potent. Plants need CO2 as much as we need oxygen. To get a true picture is to look at the oxygen levels is 20.9% and it does not change. Even NASA would have a problem controlling the percent That closet.

Answer 4

Not all of the effects of global waring will be just rising temps. CO2 has some interesting effects on other forms of life as well. Did you know that most life on Earth is what is called"Carbon based"? Why would it be suprising that CO2 has effects on life itself? Denying is easy,learning is a bit more difficult,but lots more fun. Don't give up trying to understand what is going on in the world.

Answer 5

If your theory or postulation is correct you should be able to look up infra red shots taken by local governments or find some gis photos. The increased leaf mass or density should show up when comparing dated photos.

Answer 6

Yes the radio-active thing is increasing to pollute?

Answer 7

Just the ones your smoking.