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When autumn rolls around, the leaf peepers come out in force. Armed with digital cameras, they record the most spectacular displays of fall foliage¹. Well according to a study in the journal Functional² Ecology [Toshie Mizunuma et al., The relationship between carbon dioxide uptake and canopy³ colour from two camera systems in a deciduous⁴ forest in southern England], those images may be more than just pretty pictures. They may represent a new way to monitor climate change.

Trees take carbon dioxide, or CO2, from the atmosphere and convert it into biomass. By sopping⁵ up CO2 they help to stabilize⁶ the climate. But at the same time, they’re also affected⁷ by climate, for example, budding earlier in the season as global temperatures rise.

To understand how all this balances out, ecologists monitor how forests take up CO2. It’s a costly⁸ business that involves using a network of 500 instrument towers worldwide. So researchers got to wondering whether there might be an easier way to keep an eye on photosynthesis⁹. And they found that digital cameras do the trick.

Analyzing¹⁰ two years’ worth of snaps taken every half hour in a forest in southern England, the researchers discovered that a tree’s leafy colors provide a good proxy¹¹ for its photosynthetic¹² productivity. So next time you go for a walk in the woods, take only photos. And leave only data points.

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1 foliage
n.叶子，树叶，簇叶
参考例句：
The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。 Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。

2 functional
adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的
参考例句：
The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。 The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

3 canopy
n.天篷，遮篷
参考例句：
The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。 They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

4 deciduous
adj.非永久的；短暂的；脱落的；落叶的
参考例句：
Overgrown deciduous shrubs can be cut back at this time of year.过于繁茂的落叶灌木可以在每年的这个时候修剪。 Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.落叶树木在秋天落叶。

5 sopping
adj. 浑身湿透的动词sop的现在分词形式
参考例句：
We are sopping with rain. 我们被雨淋湿了。 His hair under his straw hat was sopping wet. 隔着草帽，他的头发已经全湿。来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

6 stabilize
vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定
参考例句：
They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。 His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

7 affected
adj.不自然的，假装的
参考例句：
She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。 His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 costly
adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的
参考例句：
It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。 This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 photosynthesis
n.光合作用
参考例句：
In apple trees photosynthesis occurs almost exclusively in the leaves.苹果树的光合作用几乎只发生在叶内。 Chloroplasts are the structures in which photosynthesis happens.叶绿体就是光合作用发生的地方。

10 analyzing
v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析
参考例句：
Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。来自辞典例句 He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。来自辞典例句

11 proxy
n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人
参考例句：
You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。 We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

12 photosynthetic
adj.光合的，促进光合作用的
参考例句：
In some plants photosynthetic products are stored in the form polyfructosans. 在有些植物中，光合作用产物是以多聚果糖的形式储藏。 Chlorotic or necrotic lesions were evidence of decreased photosynthetic tissues. 缺绿的或坏死的侵蚀斑便是减少了光合组织的证据。