Land use change influences continental water cycle
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 - 13:30
in Earth & Climate
Forests, and tropical forests in particular, play an important role in the global water cycle. Scientists have recently shown that evaporation from the Amazon forest is for more than 50% responsible for the rainfall in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil, where it feeds crops and rivers. Similarly in Africa, the Congo forest exports tons of water through the atmosphere to the West-African countries.
