Atlas Obscura mentions 2006 UMaine tree study
Atlas Obscura mentioned a 2006 University of Maine study in its story, “The Canadian Arctic Once Probably Looked a Lot Like Present-Day Florida.” Ellesmere Island, just north of Greenland, has musk oxen, hares, brown grasses and shrubs. But about 56 million to 34 million years ago, the landscape was totally different, according to the article. There was no persistent ice to speak of, and annual average temperatures were in the 50s F. There may have been rare dustings of snow or intermittent frost, but for the most part, it was warm, humid, and swampy. And, it was covered with trees, according to the article. The University of Maine study placed the modern relatives of some of these ancient trees in constant light, and found the dawn redwood kept photosynthesizing despite the stress of having no break from brightness. Whatever grew on Ellesmere could handle that stress, “and that makes the Arctic of the distant past an interesting case study for understanding how plants might respond to an uncertain future,” according to the article.