Deforestation May Impact Our Climate and Food Supply

Deforestation may not just impact wildlife. Scientists have found that it could affect global food production by triggering changes in local climate.

Earlier research looked at the effects of forest cover on temperature using field observations or global climate models. Because field work can be expensive, though, field measurements are generally available only for limited areas. This latest study, though, relies on satellite observations, which cover a more widespread area.

Agriculture can convert forest cover to plantations for oil palm, soy, rubber, coffee, tea, rice and other crops. In fact, it's thought to be one of the main causes in deforestation. Yet these changes in land cover could potentially drive a rise or fall in local temperature by as much as a few degrees. This kind of fluctuation could substantially impact yields of crops that are highly susceptible to specific climate conditions, resulting in harvests that are less profitable.

"Understanding the precise mechanisms of forest-generated warming or cooling could help regional management agencies anticipate changes in crop yields," said Safa Motesharrei, co-author of the new study, in a news release. "Together with a knowledge of other ecological factors, this information can help decision makers and stakeholders design policies that help to sustain local agricultural practices."

The researchers used data collected by NASA's Moderate ResolutionImaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This allowed the scientists to zoom in and out again to analyze the same phenomena everywhere around the world.

So what did they find? As rates of deforestation climb, shifts in local climate become more pronounced. Already, the world has lost about 130 million hectares of forest cover in just the past decade.

"We knew before that forests have an impact on temperature," said Eugenia Kalnay, co-author of the new study. "But this study has provided a precise, quantitative estimation of the impact of forests depending on the geographical location, tracing it back to the changes in albedo and evapotranspiration."

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.

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