A new study partly led by researchers at the University of Maryland has found that growing one perennial grass could cut Midwest warming by 1 degree Celsius.
This is coming amid predictions of climate change driving up temperatures and causing more extreme heat in the Midwest.
According to the study published in GCB Bioenergy, Miscanthus x giganteus, which is also known as giant miscanthus, grows up to 10 feet tall with wide bamboo-like stems and green leaves, creating a canopy that’s likely to lower regional summer temperatures while increasing humidity, rainfall and overall crop productivity.
The study which was led by scientists Xin-Zhong Liang and Yufeng He provides new insights into nature-based mitigation strategies for global warming, environmental conservation, food crop and bioenergy production, and agricultural sustainability.
In his reaction, Liang said that growing perennial grasses on marginal land cannot only reduce soil erosion, restore carbon stocks, and provide feedstocks for biofuels and bioproducts,but also be an effective mitigation strategy to contain regional climate change, preventing the U.S. agricultural heartland from the warming-and-drying trend currently projected.
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The scientists explained that Miscanthus x Gigantes is water-efficient, non-invasive and requires little fertilizer and can also grow on marginal land, or land that has little or no agricultural or industrial value due to poor soil or other conditions.
To carry out the study, the researchers paired a dynamic crop growth model with a regional climate model to find that miscanthus did more than cool the land—it significantly increased summer precipitation. In the Midwest simulations, summer precipitation increased between 14% and 15%; in the Southern heartland, it increased between 14% and 16%.
“Unlike the temperature changes, which are greatest in regions with the most miscanthus, the precipitation changes can occur hundreds of miles beyond due to atmospheric circulation,” they said.
In her reaction, Laura Lautz, a program director in NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences, said that global temperatures will continue to rise due to climate change, even if we are able to curb greenhouse gas emissions and develop new technologies for carbon removal.
“This research adds to our toolbox of strategies to minimize the impacts of future warming, increase food security, and improve the resilience of agricultural systems,” she said.
Story was adapted from PHYS.ORG
