28 January 2013: The Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) announced the publication of an article on the role of forests in the precipitation cycle. The article, titled “Where do winds come from? A new theory on how water vapor condensation influences atmospheric pressure and dynamics,” looks at the implications of condensation-induced dynamics, which is often put aside in climate and climate change decision-making due to uncertainty and controversy among atmospheric scientists.

The article explores, more deeply, the physics behind the theory that, under full sunshine, forests maintain higher evaporation than oceans and thus draw in moist ocean air; although, in seasonal climates, this process may only occur in the summer. With regards to implications for forest management, the hypothesis concerning forests and precipitation presented in the CIFOR post is that land will become more arid and unable to sustain forests if deforestation or forest degradation occurs while, in wet continents, continuous forest cover can cause large amounts of moist air to be drawn in from the coast. In order to allow forests to pull moist air deep into continental interiors, however, the CIFOR post clarifies, near continuous forest cover is required.

The article suggests that the above process dominates the lower atmosphere circulation, while the other processes modeled through general circulation models may be currently overrepresented. This calls for a re-appraisal of the role of forests in driving climatic and weather patterns. [Forests as Rainmakers: CIFOR scientist gains support for a controversial hypothesis] [Publication: Where do Winds Come From? A new theory on how water vapor condensation influences atmospheric pressure and dynamics]