Land surface effects on climate

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Land surface effects on climate are wide-ranging and vary by region. Deforestation and exploitation of natural landscapes play a significant role. Some of these environmental changes are similar to those which have been assumed to be the effects of global warming.[1][2][3]

Deforestation effects

Major land surface changes affecting climate include deforestation (especially in tropical areas),[4][5][6][7][8] and destruction of grasslands and xeric woodlands by overgrazing, or lack of grazing. These changes in the natural landscape reduce evapotranspiration, and thus water vapor, in the atmosphere, limiting clouds and precipitation (this may contribute to the retreat of glaciers).[citation needed] It has been proposed, in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, that evaporation rates from forested areas may exceed that of the oceans, creating zones of low pressure, which enhance the development of storms and rainfall through atmospheric moisture recycling.[9] The American Institute of Biological Sciences published a similar paper in support of this concept in 2009.[10] In addition, with deforestation and/or destruction of grasslands, the amount of dew harvested (or condensed) by plants is greatly diminished.[11][12][13] All of this helps lead to desertification in these regions.

This concept of land-atmosphere feedback is common among permaculturists, such as Masanobu Fukuoka, who, in his book, The One Straw Revolution, said "rain comes from the ground, not the sky."[14][15]

Deforestation, and conversion of grasslands to desert, may also lead to cooling of the regional climate. This is because of the albedo effect (sunlight reflected by bare ground) during the day, and rapid radiation of heat into space at night, due to the lack of vegetation and atmospheric moisture.[16]

Reforestation, conservation grazing, holistic land management, and, in drylands, water harvesting and keyline design, are examples of methods which may help prevent, or lessen, these drying effects.[17]

See also

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References

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External links

  1. ↑ http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ttv10.sci.ess.land/the-effect-of-land-masses-on-climate/
  2. ↑ https://www2.usgs.gov/faq/node/5601
  3. ↑ http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1155/
  4. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273969744_Cascading_effects_of_deforestation_and_drying_trends_on_reduced_forest_resilience_in_the_Amazon_region
  5. ↑ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015EGUGA..1715338Z
  6. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/deforestation-and-drought.html?_r=0
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  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ http://www.permies.com/t/6471/fukuoka/Rain-ground-sky-Fukuoka
  15. ↑ 1978 [1975 Sep.] – The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming, translators Chris Pearce, Tsune Kurosawa and Larry Korn, Rodale Press.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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