press release<\/a> provides more: “Forest loss is known to have a nearby cooling effect, because without trees the Earth\u2019s surface is more reflective and absorbs less sunlight, and loss of vegetation also makes air drier. These local effects of deforestation are well known. But the new study shows major forest losses can alter global climate by shifting the path of large-scale atmospheric waves or altering precipitation paths. Less forest cover can also change how much sunlight is absorbed in the Northern versus the Southern hemispheres, which can shift tropical rain bands and other climate features.”<\/p>\n\u201cPeople have thought about how forest loss matters for an ecosystem, and maybe for local temperatures, but they haven\u2019t thought about how that interacts with the global climate,\u201d stated co-author Abigail Swann, a UW assistant professor of atmospheric sciences and of biology. \u201cWe are only starting to think about these larger-scale implications.\u201d<\/p>\n
With regard to the specifics of the research, the work was centered on two different regions experiencing deforestation and mass tree deaths — the western parts of North America, and the Amazon Rainforest in South America.<\/p>\n
In western North America the tree losses as of late have primary been the result of drought, extreme heat, and beetle infestations (temps too low in winter to kill larvae). In the Amazon the losses have primary been the result of mass deforestation.<\/p>\n
To explore the subject, the researchers utilized a climate model where drastic forest-loss occurred.<\/p>\n
![\"deforestation\"](\"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/deforestation.jpg\")
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