The intrusive and creepy kudzu vines have been spreading throughtout the southeastern part of the United Stated. Originated from Asia, these destructive vines may be a cause for ozone pollution. The kudzu rapidly extends along trees and blocks out sunlight, making it a threat. The amount of Kudzu is increasing at a rate of 120,000 acres of the vine growning a year. Ecologist Jonathan Hickman says that kudzu has a huge and negative impact on ozone pollution. The ozone is a part of the smog that clogs air in certain parts of the Earth. Hickman thought that maybe these kudzu vines were a cause of pollution. He decided to test the soil, and realized that nitrogen oxides, which effect the ozone, were doubled after the kudzu arrived in that area. The invasion of kudzu plants could highly effect the air, and increase the range of pollution levels. When Hickman realized that Kudzu plants were also invading the United States, he checked the level there. Luckily, there was no sign of an increase in pollution because of these plants. Hopefully, there will not be any signs in the future as well.
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That's crazy!!!! Those plants are so destructive! Eventually, they probably will affect the pollution level here, too. So, maybe we should try to control the amount of these Kudzu plants growing...they're a pretty large threat!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Very informative and interesting!