Randerson study measures impacts of deforestation

A study by AirUCI faculty Jim Randerson and AirUCI postdoc Yue Li is adding to the capacity for measuring the impacts of deforestation on surrounding areas.  A key aspect of modeling that has until now remained unmeasured is the degree to which deforestation in tropical rainforests like the Amazon and the Congo contributes to additional forest losses because of its effect on regional climate.  “We used Earth system models to quantify what the climate impact from tropical deforestation is today,” said Yue, “then we used this information with satellite observations of forest biomass to figure out how nearby forests are responding to these changes.”  Jim added: “This paper shows that avoiding deforestation yields carbon benefits in nearby regions as a consequence of climate feedbacks."  Read the article

Date: 
Tuesday, April 12, 2022