How trees in Finland throw up their own parasols to keep cool

Study of boreal forest shows first direct observational evidence of this negative climate feedback mechanismAs if trees were not amazing enough, it turns out that some of them throw up their own parasols to keep themselves cool on hot days.For the past seven years Taina Yli-Juuti, from the University of Eastern Finland, and colleagues have been venturing out into boreal forest 125 miles (200km) north of Helsinki and monitoring the chemistry happening above the trees. They found that on warmer days coniferous trees produced more volatile organic compounds - the chemicals that give pine forests their distinctive aroma. Chemical reactions between these compounds produce tiny particles, which act as cloud condensation nuclei - surfaces where water vapour can condense. Continue reading...