A new scientific study shows how periods of drought affect plants’ photosynthesis throughout the course of the day. The study found that plants in regions that are typically dry increase their CO2 intake during the morning hours during a heat wave and decrease photosynthesis in the mid-day and afternoon. Researchers analysed data from new-generation geostationary satellites. The data were gathered in part during a heat wave in the USA in 2020. Dr. Benjamin Dechant from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University contributed to the publication by the South Korean research group and discussed the most important findings in an interview.