Earth Started Getting Less Green 20 Years Ago

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-stopped-getting-greener-20-years-ago/

By Chelsea Harvey, E&E News on August 15, 2019

The world is gradually becoming less green, scientists have found. Plant growth is declining all over the planet, and new research links the phenomenon to decreasing moisture in the air—a consequence of climate change.

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Climate records suggest the declines are associated with a metric known as vapor pressure deficit—that’s the difference between the amount of moisture the air actually holds versus the maximum amount of moisture it could be holding. A high deficit is sometimes referred to as an atmospheric drought.

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[The wording in this article might be misleading to non-scientists.  Warmer air holds more moisture, so the atmosphere holds more total moisture than previously because it is sucking up more moisture from the earth, making the earth drier.  The extra moisture in the atmosphere also causes more precipitation when the air cools.]