World would be 1°C warmer without cooling effect of tropical forests

By Chen Ly.

The importance of protecting and reforesting equatorial regions is highlighted by a finding that tropical forests cool the planet.

Forests can affect local and global climates by taking in carbon from the atmosphere and locking it in trees and soil.

Deborah Lawrence at the University of Virginia says forests are more than just carbon sponges.

The mechanisms include reflecting some sunlight back into space and evapotranspiration when water is released from the tree. Taking in heat from the nearby environment cools the air around a forest.

TheIrregularities in the surface formed by forest canopies play a role.