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Possible Climatic Impacts of Tropical Deforestation

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Tropical Forests and Climate

Abstract

Large-scale conversion of tropical forests into pastures or annual crops will likely lead to changes in the local microclimate of those regions. Larger diurnal fluctuations of surface temperature and humidity deficit, increased surface runoff during rainy periods and decreased runoff during the dry season, and decreased soil moistrue are to be expected.

It is likely that evapotranspiration will be reduced because of less available radiative energy at the canopy level since grass presents a higher albedo than forests, also because of the reduced availability of soil moisture at the rooting zone primarily during the dry season. Recent results from general circulation model (GCM) simulations of Amazonian deforestation seem to suggest that the equilibrium climate for a grassy vegetation in Amazonia would be one in which regional precipitation would be significantly reduced.

Global climate changes probably will occur if there is a marked change in rainfall patterns in tropical forest regions as a result of deforestation. Besides that, biomass burning of tropical forests is likely adding CO2 into the atmosphere, thus contributing to the enhanced greenhouse warming.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisica e Meteorologia, ESALQ, USP, C. Postal 9, 13400, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

    Eneas Salati

  2. Centro de Previsao de Tempo e Estudos Climaticos, INPE, C. Postal 515, 12201, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP, Brazil

    Carlos A. Nobre

Authors
  1. Eneas Salati
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  2. Carlos A. Nobre
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Upper Meadow, Old Road, Headington, Oxford, UK

    Norman Myers

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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Salati, E., Nobre, C.A. (1991). Possible Climatic Impacts of Tropical Deforestation. In: Myers, N. (eds) Tropical Forests and Climate. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3608-4_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3608-4_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4147-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-3608-4

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