New publication: How Can Satellites Help Us Find Plants That Use Groundwater?

New publication: How Can Satellites Help Us Find Plants That Use Groundwater?

As part of his doctoral thesis in the GM-GDE project, Léonard’s new article (https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2024.1394341) focuses on science communication for children. Together with co-authors from the University of Naples and the Department of Geography Didactics in Halle, he has presented the results of his latest study on groundwater-dependent vegetation in the Mediterranean region in an understandable language. The article was published in Frontiers for Young Minds and reviewed by two reviewers aged 12 and 15.

Abstract

Plants need water to survive, but what about plants living in places where it does not rain much? Some of these special plants send their roots down into the Earth to find water deep underground, which is called groundwater. But there is a problem: we do not know exactly where these plants are growing. Our mission? To create a new map to find and protect these incredible plants in regions with a Mediterranean climate. We used data from satellites and environment maps to uncover the best places for groundwater plants to grow in these areas. Then we developed rules to guide us, for example: “Plants that are green even when there is no rain” and “Plant roots that tap into the groundwater”. The rules helped us to create a map showing where these special plants might live. Guess what? Areas near the coast and along rivers are their favorite spots.