global cooling

Water in Plain Sight – Missing the Water for the Trees. Judith Schwartz

Water in Plain Sight – Missing the Water for the Trees. Judith Schwartz

Judith Schwartz’ book “Water in Plain Sight” is a really great read on all these interconnections between vegetation, soil, water, atmosphere and climate. If you haven’t read it yet, go for it.

The publisher agreed to make available the chapter “Missing the Water for the Trees” in PDF format, as this subject becomes more and more attention, and is so important for cooling the climate. So, here you go with the chapter. Enjoy!

And join as at the Climate Landscapes Conference, online, 18.-19.10.2022 in order to learn from experts from various fields and discuss with others.

Posted by Stefan in Allgemein, 0 comments
The Unseen Effects of Deforestation: Biophysical Effects on Climate

The Unseen Effects of Deforestation: Biophysical Effects on Climate

Don’t only look at carbon!

We find that tropical deforestation leads to strong net global warming as a result of both CO2 and biophysical effects. From the tropics to a point between 30◦N and 40◦N, biophysical cooling by standing forests is both local and global, adding to the global cooling effect of CO2 sequestered by forests. In the mid- latitudes up to 50◦N, deforestation leads to modest net global warming as warming from released forest carbon outweighs a small opposing biophysical cooling. Beyond 50◦N large scale deforestation leads to a net global cooling due to the dominance of biophysical processes (particularly increased albedo) over warming from CO2 released. Locally at all latitudes, forest biophysical impacts far outweigh CO2 effects, promoting local climate stability by reducing extreme temperatures in all seasons and times of day. The importance of forests for both global climate change mitigation and local adaptation by human and non-human species is not adequately captured by current carbon-centric metrics, particularly in the context of future climate warming.

Posted by Stefan in Allgemein, 0 comments