The article highlights groundbreaking research conducted by Colorado State University and Cornell University that demonstrates how solar arrays can aid grasslands during drought. The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, reveals that photovoltaic (PV) arrays located in grassland ecosystems can reduce water stress, improve soil moisture levels, and increase plant growth by up to 20% or more compared to open fields.

Researchers found that plants beneath and around the solar systems benefited from partial shading and additional water that collects on panels. During a dry year, grass growth on the east side of panels was significantly higher than in neighboring open sites. This positive response was reduced during wet and normal years but still demonstrated the potential benefits of co-locating solar power infrastructure with ecosystem preservation.

The study’s lead author, Matthew Sturchio, emphasizes that small changes in array design, configuration, and management could unlock untapped benefits, particularly those related to water use. The researchers are now exploring ways to optimize solar array placement and design to maximize the benefits for grassland ecosystems.

Alan Knapp, a University Distinguished Professor at CSU, notes that their research has significant implications for restoring grassland ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions. He suggests that building solar facilities in areas where they can benefit from strategic placement is an obvious win-win. The team plans to investigate the functional underpinnings of this idea at a newly constructed research facility.

This pioneering study showcases the potential for solar arrays to support grassland conservation, especially during drought-prone seasons. As researchers continue to explore and refine this concept, it may provide valuable insights into creating more resilient and sustainable ecosystems for generations to come.

The article has been rewritten to improve clarity, structure, and style, making it understandable to a general audience:

Amazon Rainforest May Survive Long-Term Drought but at a High Cost

A recent study suggests that the Amazon rainforest could survive long-term droughts caused by climate change. However, this resilience would come at a significant cost, with some parts of the forest losing many of its largest trees and releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere.

The researchers conducted a 22-year experiment in north-eastern Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest. They created an artificial drought by redirecting half of the rainfall away from a one-hectare area using thousands of transparent panels. This led to widespread tree deaths, with most of the largest trees dying within the first 15 years.

The study found that after the initial biomass losses, the surviving trees became less stressed and started making slight carbon gains. However, the forest still lost more than one-third of its total biomass, which is a significant amount of stored carbon.

The findings indicate that while some rainforests may be able to survive prolonged droughts, their ability to act as both a vital carbon store and carbon sink could be greatly diminished. This has significant implications for our understanding of the Amazon’s resilience to climate change.

Further research is needed to assess other potential impacts, such as changes in moisture levels, temperature, and storms or fires caused by climate-related factors.

The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, was carried out by a team led by Professors Patrick Meir from the University of Edinburgh and Antonio Carlos Lôla Da Costa from the Universidade Federal do Pará and the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Brazil. The research was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Royal Society, and the UK Met Office Newton Fund.

Lead author Dr Pablo Sanchez Martinez said: “Our findings suggest that while some rainforests may be able to survive prolonged droughts brought on by climate change, their capacity to act as both a vital carbon store and carbon sink could be greatly diminished.”

Professor Patrick Meir added: “Ecological responses to climate can have very large impacts on our environment, locally and globally; we cannot understand and predict them without long-term collaborative research of this sort.”

The fascinating world of bird feeding behaviors has been further explored by researchers, who have discovered that Chilean flamingos use their unique beak and foot structure to create water tornados and skimming techniques to trap their prey.

Victor Ortega Jiménez, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and his collaborators have published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences detailing how these birds employ various strategies to capture brine shrimp, a crucial food source for them.

One of the key findings is that flamingos use their floppy webbed feet to churn up the water and create vortices around their beaks. This allows them to concentrate particles of food and increase their chances of capturing prey.

Another technique employed by flamingos is skimming, which involves moving the lower beak in a rapid chattering motion to create symmetrical vortices on either side of the beak. This helps to recirculate particles in the water and bring them into the beak, making it easier for the bird to capture its prey.

The study also highlights the importance of fluid dynamics in understanding how flamingos feed. Researchers employed computational fluid dynamics to simulate the 3D flow around the beak and feet, confirming that the vortices do indeed concentrate particles, similar to experiments using a 3D-printed head in a flume.

This research has significant implications for our understanding of bird feeding behaviors and could potentially inform the design of robots that need to navigate water or muddy environments.