A new consequence related to climate change is discovered nearly every day, but the warming planet may be making the already monstrous California redwood trees grow even faster.
The rapid growth could be a result of more sunlight, less wildfires, or even atmospheric carbon dioxide, San Jose Mercury News reported.
Since the 1970s, the redwood's growth rate has been 45 percent faster than researchers have seen in the past 200 years.
Declining fog cover could be partially responsible for the growth as it allows more sunlight to reach the trees.
Researchers are concerned there won't be enough water to feed the even larger trees.
"There's a tipping point," lead scientist an director of the Center for Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry at UC Berkeley Todd Dawson, told San Jose Mercury News. "As we go into warmer and drier times, particularly with snowpacks on the decline -- which means less water for giant sequoias -- we're concerned that this growth surge is probably not going to be sustainable."
Recent models created by researchers predicted if carbon monoxide levels continue to rise at a similar pace "temperatures, rainfall and fog levels" will not be able to support the iconic trees by about 2100.
Emily Burns, Director of Science for Save the Redwoods League, has a more optimistic idea of the redwoods' future, according to a news release
"These results bolster our mission to protect redwoods because these trees are pulling incomparable amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere which helps combat global warming," Burns said. "We have found ancient forests where climate conditions are accelerating growth and we predict these places will stay vibrant habitat refuges for other plants and animals in the foreseeable future."
Dawson discovered redwood seedlings die if moisture in the soil drops below 15 percent, the researcher hopes to study the young trees in future endeavors, San Jose Mercury News reported.
"Redwoods define our state. They define us and our sense of place," Dawson said. "Why should we preserve them? Why would you preserve a Mozart concerto? They add value to the human condition."
