Forests Emerge as a Major Overlooked Climate Factor

[Binary_Bark]

When Abigail Swann started her career in the mid-2000s, she was one of just a handful of scientists exploring a potentially radical notion: that the green plants living on Earth’s surface could have a major influence on the planet’s climate. For decades, most atmospheric scientists had focused their weather and climate models on wind, rain and other physical phenomena.

But with powerful computer models that can simulate how plants move water, carbon dioxide and other chemicals between ground and air, Swann has found that vegetation can control weather patterns across huge distances. The destruction or expansion of forests on one continent might boost rainfall or cause a drought halfway around the world.

More At: https://www.quantamagazine.org/forests-emerge-as-a-major-overlooked-climate-factor-20181009/

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

so humanity terraforming earth to its needs isnt causing climate change?

earth is doing climate change all on its own?

 

[smkungfu]

so humanity terraforming earth to its needs isnt causing climate change?

earth is doing climate change all on its own?

No, we are still causing climate change. We cut down the forests, not mother nature.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

No, we are still causing climate change. We cut down the forests, not mother nature.

what about forest fires? and volcano eruptions?

the amount of CO2 released during any of those events is much more than humanity has released ever before.

 

[kolaval]

Care to provide some proof about that statement?

 

[smkungfu]

what about forest fires? and volcano eruptions?

the amount of CO2 released during any of those events is much more than humanity has released ever before.

Yes but the topic is about the destruction of forests and the impact it might have on weather patterns. We destroy more forests than forest fires. Heck I think most forest fires are caused by us humans.

 

[Aquila ka Hecate]

Trees and fungi - trying to save us all from humanity. Bless their souls.

 

[Techne]

How much do humans contribute towards climate change?
Greenybeany tards: All of it and it is all bad.
Idiots: Nothing
The rest: Not 100% sure and we don't know if it is all bad or good.

 

[Aquila ka Hecate]

How much do humans contribute towards climate change?
Greenybeany tards: All of it and it is all bad.
Idiots: Nothing
The rest: Not 100% sure and we don't know if it is all bad or good.

Scientists(you know, the ones without the tinfoil hats and the chips on their shoulders): Most of it.

 

[rietrot]

Seriously who writes this crap. We have known how trees work for the last 200 years. We even have our own tree plant day.

It was maybe just overlooked by this specific idiots. It isn't radical in any sense.

 

[rietrot]

Here's just more comformation that the models that predict the world ending is wrong, which we already know.

 

[Techne]

Scientists(you know, the ones without the tinfoil hats and the chips on their shoulders): Most of it.

Lol

 

[OrbitalDawn]

what about forest fires? and volcano eruptions?

the amount of CO2 released during any of those events is much more than humanity has released ever before.

Nope and nope.

Also important to remember that the vast majority of wildfires are caused by humans. Also, regrowth after a fire would effectively act as carbon sink, cancelling out a lot of the emissions.

 

[Geoff.D]

So, closer to home, the group of pseudo Scientists in this country that led to the mass removal of "alien vegetation and man made forests" in the mountains of the Cape may just have triggered off the severe droughts experienced there of late ....

Makes you think does it not

 

[Geoff.D]

Seriously who writes this crap. We have known how trees work for the last 200 years. We even have our own tree plant day.

It was maybe just overlooked by this specific idiots. It isn't radical in any sense.

So if it was known, why have "we" ignored it? And besides these studies have gone a long way into trying to quantify the effects of plants. This paper is far more believable that most of the doomsday Climate Change prophets and their papers..

 

[Dave]

so humanity terraforming earth

Can I guess you don’t really know what the word terraform means?

 

[Swa]

Scientists(you know, the ones without the tinfoil hats and the chips on their shoulders): Most of it.

Try scientism instead. Equally loony.

 

[Milano]

Some of you should just STFU and read the actual article in its entirety.

Also, comment on the article instead of commenting on the comments made by others who also never read the article.

It is a lengthy article but well worth the read.

For example:

The effects of forest die-off can also be positive, however. In Swann’s study, removing trees from the mid-Atlantic actually helped forests elsewhere, by making those regions’ summers cooler or wetter. Swann emphasizes that this does not mean people should cut down forests, which provide innumerable benefits beyond their influence on other regions, including carbon storage, wildlife habitat and water filtration. But she notes that environmental groups often plant trees as a climate solution without considering whether the trees could harm forests elsewhere or warm the planet by absorbing solar energy.

 

[Geoff.D]

Agree. Found it very interesting and well balanced without emotional clap trap.

 

[rietrot]

So, closer to home, the group of pseudo Scientists in this country that led to the mass removal of "alien vegetation and man made forests" in the mountains of the Cape may just have triggered off the severe droughts experienced there of late ....

Makes you think does it not

That's more about ground water. I have seen a documentary long ago about zz2(I think) about how they are going "green" and how they greatly improved the ground water available by removing a water hungry black wattle forests.
And then there's JHB the biggest man made forest in an area the used to be grasslands.
And our ground water and rain is still pretty decent. Who even knows.

So if it was known, why have "we" ignored it? And besides these studies have gone a long way into trying to quantify the effects of plants> This paper is far more believable that most of the doomsday Climate Change prophets and their papers..

But with powerful computer models that can simulate how plants move water, carbon dioxide and other chemicals between ground and air,

Because technology. I'm sure we still don't have powerful enough computers to model the entire planet over long periods of time and then we only have accurate detailed data for the last 100 years. How much of a role does cities play in weather patterns? Probably more than we realise. My comment above is accurate criticism of the sensationalism in the article.