Forests Reduce Global Temperature in Multiple Ways

As you know we are executing reforestation under the “CO2 free since born” initiative. Why we are insisting on reforestation? A study published in the Frontiers in Forests and Global Change magazine shows that forests help reduce global temperature more than an average of 1°C. Despite the fact this outcome is largely due to the capacity of the forests’ carbon capture and storage, the new research reported that one third of the effects is water vapor and release of aerosols.

Researchers already knew that forests affect local climates through various physical and chemical processes. For example, with a process called evaporation sweating, water vapors coming out of pores of a leaf cools down the trees and the environment. Also, even the irregular forest canopy (a structurally complex and ecologically important subsystem), has a cooling effect because of providing a wavy surface that can send hot air facades up and far away. Moreover, the trees produce aerosols that can lower temperatures by reflecting sunlight and bringing rainfall. Charlottesville, Virginia University of Environment scientist Deborah Lawrence and their colleagues analyzed how deforestation would have an impact on global temperatures using data from other studies. To determine how much the global temperature is affected by the carbon forests store, they used the forest biomass data. As a result of the study, given both biophysical effects and carbon sequestration between 50 degrees north and south of the equator, forests have at least 1 °C global cooling effect. A third of this cooling was found to be caused purely by biophysical mechanisms. Additionally, deforestation more than 50 degree north and south will lead to net global cooling because snow and ice will reflect the sunlight more than forests are also in the findings of the research. Lawrence said that they don’t think such a large-scale deforestation in the north is really going to happen and added that forests in these regions is key of importance for many reasons including preventing extreme weather conditions. Lawrence declared that the forests could be very important locally to minimize their impact of excessive temperature, drought, storms, and floods that will become more expansive along with global warming.

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TDG Corporate Communication