Forests in certain parts of the planet may actually warm the Earth, researchers say.
A new study by researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory shows that forests in mid to high latitude locations -- such as boreal forests of Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia -- may actually create a net warming.
By the year 2100, these mid and high latitude forests may make some places up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than would have occurred if the forests did not exist, it concludes.
The research was led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory atmospheric scientist Govindasamy Bala.
Forests, researchers say, affect climate in three different ways: they absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help keep the planet cool; they evaporate water to the atmosphere and increase cloudiness, which also helps keep the planet cool; and they are dark and absorb sunlight (the albedo effect), warming the Earth.
Previous climate change mitigation strategies that promote planting trees have taken only the first effect into account.
"Our study shows that only tropical rainforests are strongly beneficial in helping slow down global warming," Bala says.
"It is a win-win situation in the tropics because trees in the tropics, in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide, promote convective clouds that help to cool the planet. In other locations, the warming from the albedo effect either cancels or exceeds the net cooling from the other two effects."
