This is an excellent discussion of the contributions that Millan made to highlighting the role that inappropriate vegetation management has caused on the water cycle. I look forward to hearing more on this!
I'll make sure to pass on your paper, which I look forward to reading as well. It's something I've always wondered about. When I first read about desiccation of the cloud forests, it was portrayed as caused by CO2 emissions. Later, when I began learning about land change, I began to wonder about the role of deforestation, and now can learn more from your paper. Thank you.
Here is one of our papers which supports his seminal conclusions
Nair, U.S., R.O. Lawton, R.M. Welch, and R.A. Pielke Sr., 2003: Impact of land use on Costa Rican tropical montane cloud forests: 1. Sensitivity of cumulus cloud field characteristics to lowland deforestation. J. Geophys. Res. - Atmospheres, 108, 10.1029/2001JD001135.
Here is another study area that further confirms the conclusions of the pioneering work of Millan. We found a significant decrease in summertime convective rain due to land conversion. The terrain is flat so the signal is easier to explain.
Marshall, C.H. Jr., R.A. Pielke Sr., L.T. Steyaert, and D.A. Willard, 2004: The impact of anthropogenic land-cover change on the Florida peninsula sea breezes and warm season sensible weather. Mon. Wea. Rev., 132, 28-52.http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/r-272.pdf
NOTE: View related earlier pioneering work on the subject of Florida land-cover change and consequences by the late Arthur Marshall, Florida ecologist.
The Les Landes region of France was a 5,000 square mile triangular marshland fronted by 180 mile Atlantic coastline of sand dunes that kept the sea water out. It was almost uninhabited except for sheep, and their shepherds were famous for using stilts to herd their flocks through the marshes!
In the late 1700's the French decided to try to drain the swamp by planing a forest of Maritime Pines, a process that continued for over 100 years and succeeded - the tree roots pulled the water and evaporated it and the land drained. Today the forest thrives, with forestry and farming inland and tourism on the 180 mile long beach, now famous for its huge sand dunes and Atlantic surfing.
But the forest had a wider effect. The dry Gers region inland from the forest started to get more rainfall and, over the decades, became some of the richest farmland in France. One way to see how wealthy any country or region was before modern farming methods, with tractors and chemicals took over, is to look at the 18th, 19th and early 20th century architecture. A rich farmer will build a grand stone farmhouse with stone outbuildings for carts, a carriage, a stables, and barns for crop storage and animals. A rich farming area will also have villages and towns with fine merchant's houses with stable and carriage houses, and perhaps warehouse and trading buildings. And so it is in the Gers towns, with fine farm houses and beautiful town houses built of the local creme-coloured stone. (Incidentally, such buildings, based on pre-fossil's wealth, are a good indicator of a place to live post-fossil fuels too!)
In the past i have proposed a similar forestry scheme for the Atlantic coast of Africa. A forestation project for a strip of the entire Atlantic coastline, north to south, could cool the land behind and generate increased rainfall, allowing further forest planting and eventually increasing opportunities for agriculture. It might even reverse some desertification in sub-Saharan regions. The project could employ thousands of unskilled local Africans for the planting and maintenance, and would be an excellent project for major carbon capture funding (one of the few genuine ones!)
That said, it is perhaps too late as the acceleration in climate heating is overwhelming any projects like this to take effect.
This is an excellent discussion of the contributions that Millan made to highlighting the role that inappropriate vegetation management has caused on the water cycle. I look forward to hearing more on this!
Good to hear from you, Roger. Yes, Alpha Lo has made an excellent contribution. You may enjoy his series on bioprecipitation and aerosols: https://climatewaterproject.substack.com/p/bacteria-make-rain-bioprecipitation
I'll make sure to pass on your paper, which I look forward to reading as well. It's something I've always wondered about. When I first read about desiccation of the cloud forests, it was portrayed as caused by CO2 emissions. Later, when I began learning about land change, I began to wonder about the role of deforestation, and now can learn more from your paper. Thank you.
Here is one of our papers which supports his seminal conclusions
Nair, U.S., R.O. Lawton, R.M. Welch, and R.A. Pielke Sr., 2003: Impact of land use on Costa Rican tropical montane cloud forests: 1. Sensitivity of cumulus cloud field characteristics to lowland deforestation. J. Geophys. Res. - Atmospheres, 108, 10.1029/2001JD001135.
Great article, Rob. Thank you.
Here is another study area that further confirms the conclusions of the pioneering work of Millan. We found a significant decrease in summertime convective rain due to land conversion. The terrain is flat so the signal is easier to explain.
Marshall, C.H. Jr., R.A. Pielke Sr., L.T. Steyaert, and D.A. Willard, 2004: The impact of anthropogenic land-cover change on the Florida peninsula sea breezes and warm season sensible weather. Mon. Wea. Rev., 132, 28-52.http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/r-272.pdf
NOTE: View related earlier pioneering work on the subject of Florida land-cover change and consequences by the late Arthur Marshall, Florida ecologist.
http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/marshall.pdf
The Les Landes region of France was a 5,000 square mile triangular marshland fronted by 180 mile Atlantic coastline of sand dunes that kept the sea water out. It was almost uninhabited except for sheep, and their shepherds were famous for using stilts to herd their flocks through the marshes!
In the late 1700's the French decided to try to drain the swamp by planing a forest of Maritime Pines, a process that continued for over 100 years and succeeded - the tree roots pulled the water and evaporated it and the land drained. Today the forest thrives, with forestry and farming inland and tourism on the 180 mile long beach, now famous for its huge sand dunes and Atlantic surfing.
But the forest had a wider effect. The dry Gers region inland from the forest started to get more rainfall and, over the decades, became some of the richest farmland in France. One way to see how wealthy any country or region was before modern farming methods, with tractors and chemicals took over, is to look at the 18th, 19th and early 20th century architecture. A rich farmer will build a grand stone farmhouse with stone outbuildings for carts, a carriage, a stables, and barns for crop storage and animals. A rich farming area will also have villages and towns with fine merchant's houses with stable and carriage houses, and perhaps warehouse and trading buildings. And so it is in the Gers towns, with fine farm houses and beautiful town houses built of the local creme-coloured stone. (Incidentally, such buildings, based on pre-fossil's wealth, are a good indicator of a place to live post-fossil fuels too!)
In the past i have proposed a similar forestry scheme for the Atlantic coast of Africa. A forestation project for a strip of the entire Atlantic coastline, north to south, could cool the land behind and generate increased rainfall, allowing further forest planting and eventually increasing opportunities for agriculture. It might even reverse some desertification in sub-Saharan regions. The project could employ thousands of unskilled local Africans for the planting and maintenance, and would be an excellent project for major carbon capture funding (one of the few genuine ones!)
That said, it is perhaps too late as the acceleration in climate heating is overwhelming any projects like this to take effect.