The Loneliest Tree May Have Answers to Climate Change

Located on New Zealand’s Campbell Island, the Sitka spruce is now known as ‘the loneliest tree in the world’. Located 222 kilometers from the nearest tree This 9-meter-tall tree even managed to enter the Guinness Book of Records. The age of the tree has not yet been determined exactly.

On the other hand, this tree somehow became the new focus of the scientific world. Scientists from the Institute of Geology and Nuclear Sciences (GNS Science) in New Zealand the secrets behind climate change He said he thought he could shed some light. It was reported that the tree could contain valuable information about the carbon dioxide uptake in the Southern Ocean.

So why this tree?

Radiocarbon science leader from GNS Science, Dr. Jocelyn Turnbull, emphasizing that the Southern Ocean is one of the carbon sinks 10% of all carbon dioxide emissions produced in the last 150 years are in this region. shared. The tree’s mission will also be used to investigate exactly this past.

Since scientists could not naturally collect the air from the region 30 years ago, they turned their eyes to these trees. Because trees, during their development it was trapping the carbon in the air in its rings. However, since the presence of old trees in the area is extremely low, this tree was the biggest candidate for this information gathering. Turnbull continued to use these ideas in 2016 as well. a sample of 5 millimeters from the trunk of the tree took. from the sample Turnbull took about 6 years ago. The results have not been shared yet.