Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin?
Following potential reforestation in the Amazon Basin, changes in the biophysical characteristics of the land surface may affect the fluxes of heat and moisture behavior. This research examines the impacts of potential tropical reforestation on surface energy and moisture budgets, including precipit...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/14/7052 |
| _version_ | 1797433907623231488 |
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| author | Nafiseh Haghtalab Nathan Moore Pouyan Nejadhashemi |
| author_facet | Nafiseh Haghtalab Nathan Moore Pouyan Nejadhashemi |
| author_sort | Nafiseh Haghtalab |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Following potential reforestation in the Amazon Basin, changes in the biophysical characteristics of the land surface may affect the fluxes of heat and moisture behavior. This research examines the impacts of potential tropical reforestation on surface energy and moisture budgets, including precipitation and temperature. The study is novel in that while most studies look at the opposite driver (deforestation), this one examines the impact of potential forest rehabilitation on atmospheric behavior using WRF.V3.9 (weather research and forecast model). We found that forest rehabilitation across the Amazon Basin can make the atmosphere cooler with more moisture and latent heat (LH), especially during May-November. For instance, the mean seasonal temperature decreased significantly by about 1.2 °C, indicating the cooling effects of reforestation. Also, the seasonal precipitation increased by 5 mm/day in reforested areas. By reforestation, the mean monthly LH also increased as much as 50 W m<sup>−2</sup> in August in certain areas, while available moisture to the atmosphere increased by 27%, indicating possible causal mechanisms between increased LH and precipitation and emphasizing the mechanisms that were identified between the onset of the wet season and forest cover. Therefore, it is likely that forest regrowth across the basin leads to, if not reverses regional climate change, at least slowing down the rate of changes in the climate. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:23:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d3c2d9103320457e914aa31b97ce89d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:23:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3c2d9103320457e914aa31b97ce89d32023-12-01T21:51:22ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172022-07-011214705210.3390/app12147052Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin?Nafiseh Haghtalab0Nathan Moore1Pouyan Nejadhashemi2Department of Geography and Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USADepartment of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USADepartment of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USAFollowing potential reforestation in the Amazon Basin, changes in the biophysical characteristics of the land surface may affect the fluxes of heat and moisture behavior. This research examines the impacts of potential tropical reforestation on surface energy and moisture budgets, including precipitation and temperature. The study is novel in that while most studies look at the opposite driver (deforestation), this one examines the impact of potential forest rehabilitation on atmospheric behavior using WRF.V3.9 (weather research and forecast model). We found that forest rehabilitation across the Amazon Basin can make the atmosphere cooler with more moisture and latent heat (LH), especially during May-November. For instance, the mean seasonal temperature decreased significantly by about 1.2 °C, indicating the cooling effects of reforestation. Also, the seasonal precipitation increased by 5 mm/day in reforested areas. By reforestation, the mean monthly LH also increased as much as 50 W m<sup>−2</sup> in August in certain areas, while available moisture to the atmosphere increased by 27%, indicating possible causal mechanisms between increased LH and precipitation and emphasizing the mechanisms that were identified between the onset of the wet season and forest cover. Therefore, it is likely that forest regrowth across the basin leads to, if not reverses regional climate change, at least slowing down the rate of changes in the climate.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/14/7052reforestationland-atmosphere interactionsAmazon basinheat and moisture fluxesWRF |
| spellingShingle | Nafiseh Haghtalab Nathan Moore Pouyan Nejadhashemi Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin? Applied Sciences reforestation land-atmosphere interactions Amazon basin heat and moisture fluxes WRF |
| title | Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin? |
| title_full | Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin? |
| title_fullStr | Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin? |
| title_short | Would Forest Regrowth Compensate for Climate Change in the Amazon Basin? |
| title_sort | would forest regrowth compensate for climate change in the amazon basin |
| topic | reforestation land-atmosphere interactions Amazon basin heat and moisture fluxes WRF |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/14/7052 |
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