Rainfall Reduction in the Tropics Due to Deforestation, Study Finds

According to new research, deforestation is reducing rainfall across large parts of the tropics.

People living in tropical forest communities have frequently complained that as trees are cleared, the climate becomes hotter and drier, but scientists have yet to identify a clear link between the loss of tree cover and a decrease in rainfall.

Deforestation In The Tropics Linked To A Reduction In Rainfall

(Photo : ALAN CHAVES/AFP via Getty Images)

A team of researchers from the University of Leeds combined satellite data on deforestation and rainfall to show that the loss of tree cover in the tropics over the last 14 years was linked to decreases in rainfall, as per ScienceDaily.

They estimated that if the current rate of deforestation in the Congo continues, rainfall in the region could be reduced by 8% to 12% by the end of the century, threatening the viability of the Congo forests, which are among the world's largest carbon stores.

The study's lead author, Callum Smith, a doctoral researcher in the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, said the research provides "compelling evidence" to protect forests from uncontrolled clearing.

Tropical forests play an important role in the hydrological cycle by assisting in the maintenance of local and regional rainfall patterns.

Increased water scarcity and lower crop yields will result from the reduction in rainfall caused by tropical deforestation.

The researchers investigated the effects of forest loss in three tropical areas: the Amazon, the Congo, and Southeast Asia, all of which have experienced rapid land-use changes.

The study used satellite observations from 2003 to 2017 to identify areas where forests had been cleared.

Rainfall data from these areas was compared to rainfall from nearby areas where forests had not been lost using satellites.

Forest Loss Is Linked To A Decrease In Rainfall

The study found that tropical forest loss reduced rainfall throughout the year, including during the dry season, when any additional drying would have the greatest impact on plant and animal ecosystems.

The wet season saw the greatest absolute decline in precipitation, with up to 0.6 mm less rainfall per month for every percentage point loss of forest cover.

The researchers warn in their paper that climate change will cause more drought, which will be exacerbated by continued deforestation.

Also Read: Main Threats of Deforestation

Rainfall is sustained by tropical forests.

"Local people living near deforested regions often report a hotter and drier climate after the forests are cleared, but this effect had not been seen in rainfall observations until now," said Professor Dominick Spracklen of the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, who oversaw the project, as per Earth.com.

The study demonstrated the critical importance of tropical forests in sustaining rainfall.

Despite efforts to halt deforestation, the loss of forest cover in the tropics has continued, and renewed efforts are needed to stop forest loss and regenerate lost and degraded areas.

According to scientists, a decrease in rainfall has a negative impact on biodiversity, increases the risk of forest fires, and reduces carbon sequestration, which occurs when nature removes carbon from the atmosphere and stores it.

The study was funded by the European Research Council as part of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, as well as the Newton Fund via the Met Office Climate Science for Service Partnership Brazil.

Related article: Climate Simulation Shows Amazon Deforestation Leads to Water and Food Shortages in the US