Nathan Monson

Outline
Title: How Deforestation Affects Drought
1. Introduction:
a. Page: Deforestation occurs around the world, though tropical rainforests are
particularly targeted. NASA predicts that if current deforestation levels proceed,
the world's rainforests may be completely in as little as 100 years. Countries with
significant deforestation include Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the Democratic
Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa, and parts of Eastern Europe,
according to GRID-Arendal, a United Nations Environment Program
collaborating center. The country with the most deforestation is Indonesia. Since
the last century, Indonesia has lost at least 15.79 million hectares of forest land,
according to a study by US University of Maryland and the World Resource
Institute. (Bradford, livescience.com).
b. Page: Carbon isn't the only greenhouse gas that is affected by deforestation.
Water vapor is also considered a greenhouse gas. "The impact of deforestation on
the exchange of water vapor and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the
terrestrial land surface is the biggest concern with regard to the climate system,"
said Daley. Changes in their atmospheric concentration will have a direct effect on
climate. (Bradford, livescience.com).
2. 1 Pages: Brazil is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts. LIKE California,
much of Brazil is gripped by one of the worst droughts in its history. Huge reservoirs are
bone dry and water has been rationed in So Paulo, a megacity of 20 million people; in
Rio; and in many other places. Drought is usually thought of as a natural disaster beyond
human control. But as researchers peer deeper into the Earths changing bioclimate the
vastly complex global interplay between living organisms and climatic forces they are
better appreciating the crucial role that deforestation plays. (Robbins, nytimes.com).
a. Cutting down forests releases stored carbon dioxide, which traps heat and
contributes to atmospheric warming. But forests also affect climate in other ways,
by absorbing more solar energy than grasslands, for example, or releasing vast
amounts of water vapor. Many experts believe that deforestation is taking place
on such a large scale, especially in South America, that it has already significantly
altered the worlds climate even though its dynamics are not well understood.
(Robbins, nytimes.com)
b. Scientists have long known that vegetation has a profound effect on weather. In
1907, officials built a 2,000-mile-long fence across Australia to keep invasive
rabbits from crossing from the wild outback into farms. On the side with native
vegetation, rain clouds formed in the sky above, but the farm-field skies were
clear. The bunny-fence experiments charted a decline in rainfall of 20 percent
on the cultivated side. Researchers are still trying to explain why, but the leading
theory is that the darker native plants absorb more heat and release it into the
atmosphere, along with energy and water vapor to form clouds. (Robbins,
nytimes)
3. Page: The scale of transformation which would accompany the disappearance of the
Amazons flying rivers is outlined in a recent report by Professor Antonio Nobre,
researcher at Brazils National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and at the National

Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), entitled The Future Climate of Amazonia, in

which he paints a vivid picture of how the climate of Brazil and surrounding South
America is likely to be impacted by current trends in deforestation. Top of the list is the
aforementioned drought, as moisture no longer trapped by rainforest vegetation
rapidly evaporates, leading to what is described as the savannisation of the Amazon
basin. (Fitch, geographical.co.uk).
4. Page: In research meant to highlight how the destruction of the Amazon rainforest
could affect climate elsewhere, Princeton University-led researchers report that the total
deforestation of the Amazon may significantly reduce rain and snowfall in the western
United States, resulting in water and food shortages, and a greater risk of forest fires.
(Kelly, princeton.edu).
a. One Page: Specifically, a denuded Amazon would develop a weather cycle
consisting of abnormally dry air in the sun-scorched northern Amazon around the
equator weighted by wetter air in the cooler south. Research has speculated that
this pattern would be similar to the warm-water climate pattern El Nio, which
during the winter months brings heavy precipitation to southern California and the
Sierra Nevada region while drying out the Pacific Northwest. (Kelly,
princeton.edu).
b. Page: Because the exact result of Amazon deforestation is impossible to know
currently, the behavior and impact of El Nio provides one of the best ideas of
how the loss of the Amazon could play out, Medvigy said. Studies have suggested
since 1993 that an Amazon without trees will develop an El Nio-like pattern, the
researchers reported. The researchers then focused on the northwestern United
States because the region is typically sensitive to El Nio. (Kelly, princeton.edu)
5. Page: In the past 20 years, the author notes that the Amazon has lost 763,000 sq km,
an area the size of two Germanys. In addition another 1.2m sq km has been estimated as
degraded by cutting below the canopy and fire. (Watts, theguardian.com)\
6. Page: In the United States, deforestation has been more than offset by reforestation
between 1990 and 2010. The nation added 7,687,000 hectares (18,995,000 acres) of
forested land during that period. The trend in reforesting areas has been driven by
organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service and the Arbor Day Foundation.
Reforestation efforts were critical to maintain forest cover starting at the beginning of the
20th century, and they are the reason that there is a net positive trend in forest growth
today. (Becker, seattlepi.com)

Works Cited
Becker, Andrea. Rates of Deforestation & Reforestation in the U.S. SeattlePi, Hearst Seattle
Media, LLC, education.seattlepi.com/rates-deforestation-reforestation-us-3804.html.
Bradford, Alina. Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects. LiveScience, TechMedia Network, 4
Mar. 2015, www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html.
Butler, Rhett. Impact of Deforestation: Local and National Consequences. Mongabay, 22 July
2012, rainforests.mongabay.com/0902.htm.
Fitch, Chris. Deforestation Causing So Paulo Drought - Geographical. Sample, Syon
Geographical, geographical.co.uk/places/cities/item/761-deforestation-behind-sao-paulodrought.
Kelly, Morgan. If a Tree Falls in Brazil? Amazon Deforestation Could Mean Droughts for
Western U.S. Princeton University, Trustees of Princeton University, 7 Nov. 2013,
www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/s38/31/66m12/index.xml?section=topstories.
Robbins, Jim. Deforestation and Drought. The New York Times, The New York Times
Company, 10 Oct. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/deforestation-anddrought.html.