Hot News about Coral reefs and Rainforests

Here is some breaking news. We are all aware that Coral reefs and rainforests are hot spots of biodiversity, but latest research is adding a pleasant twist. These two ecosystems may actually seed clouds and produce rainfall.

The new study says if we take Amazon rainforest as an example the forests act  as its own 'bioreactor'. Clouds and precipitation are produced by the abundance of plant materials in the ecosystem.

According to researchers the trees 'sweat out' organic molecules that react with compounds in the atmosphere, producing tiny particles that are around 20 to 200 nanometers in size. Eighty percent of supermicron particles above the Amazon were produced by rainforests. The research thus emphasizes the need to protect the forests.

The research also indicates that a substance called dimethylsulphide or DMS   produced by coral reefs also seeds clouds and brings precipitation. DMS oxidizes in the atmosphere to produce cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The DMS is produced by the algae living in coral tissues.

This is exciting news for the conservationists.

Details of the study appear in Science