Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential

Abstract Afforestation is an important approach to mitigate global warming. Its complex interactions with the climate system, however, makes it controversial. Afforestation is expected to be effective in the tropics where biogeochemical and biogeophysical effects act in concert; however, its potenti...

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Autores principales:	Gil Yosef, Robert Walko, Roni Avisar, Fedor Tatarinov, Eyal Rotenberg, Dan Yakir
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2018
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/b93fbe67dae240efb92a90936f6393b6
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:b93fbe67dae240efb92a90936f6393b62021-12-02T15:07:57ZLarge-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential10.1038/s41598-018-19265-62045-2322https://doaj.org/article/b93fbe67dae240efb92a90936f6393b62018-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-19265-6https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Afforestation is an important approach to mitigate global warming. Its complex interactions with the climate system, however, makes it controversial. Afforestation is expected to be effective in the tropics where biogeochemical and biogeophysical effects act in concert; however, its potential in the large semi-arid regions remains insufficiently explored. Here, we use a Global Climate Model to provide a process-based demonstration that implementing measured characteristics of a successful semi-arid afforestation system (2000 ha, ~300 mm mean annual precipitation) over large areas (~200 million ha) of similar precipitation levels in the Sahel and North Australia leads to the weakening and shifting of regional low-level jets, enhancing moisture penetration and precipitation (+0.8 ± 0.1 mm d−1 over the Sahel and +0.4 ± 0.1 mm d−1 over North Australia), influencing areas larger than the original afforestation. These effects are associated with increasing root depth and surface roughness and with decreasing albedo. This results in enhanced evapotranspiration, surface cooling and the modification of the latitudinal temperature gradient. It is estimated that the carbon sequestration potential of such large-scale semi-arid afforestation can be on the order of ~10% of the global carbon sink of the land biosphere and would overwhelm any biogeophysical warming effects within ~6 years.Gil YosefRobert WalkoRoni AvisarFedor TatarinovEyal RotenbergDan YakirNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2018)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Gil Yosef Robert Walko Roni Avisar Fedor Tatarinov Eyal Rotenberg Dan Yakir Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential
description	Abstract Afforestation is an important approach to mitigate global warming. Its complex interactions with the climate system, however, makes it controversial. Afforestation is expected to be effective in the tropics where biogeochemical and biogeophysical effects act in concert; however, its potential in the large semi-arid regions remains insufficiently explored. Here, we use a Global Climate Model to provide a process-based demonstration that implementing measured characteristics of a successful semi-arid afforestation system (2000 ha, ~300 mm mean annual precipitation) over large areas (~200 million ha) of similar precipitation levels in the Sahel and North Australia leads to the weakening and shifting of regional low-level jets, enhancing moisture penetration and precipitation (+0.8 ± 0.1 mm d−1 over the Sahel and +0.4 ± 0.1 mm d−1 over North Australia), influencing areas larger than the original afforestation. These effects are associated with increasing root depth and surface roughness and with decreasing albedo. This results in enhanced evapotranspiration, surface cooling and the modification of the latitudinal temperature gradient. It is estimated that the carbon sequestration potential of such large-scale semi-arid afforestation can be on the order of ~10% of the global carbon sink of the land biosphere and would overwhelm any biogeophysical warming effects within ~6 years.
format	article
author	Gil Yosef Robert Walko Roni Avisar Fedor Tatarinov Eyal Rotenberg Dan Yakir
author_facet	Gil Yosef Robert Walko Roni Avisar Fedor Tatarinov Eyal Rotenberg Dan Yakir
author_sort	Gil Yosef
title	Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential
title_short	Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential
title_full	Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential
title_fullStr	Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential
title_full_unstemmed	Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential
title_sort	large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2018
url	https://doaj.org/article/b93fbe67dae240efb92a90936f6393b6
work_keys_str_mv	AT gilyosef largescalesemiaridafforestationcanenhanceprecipitationandcarbonsequestrationpotential AT robertwalko largescalesemiaridafforestationcanenhanceprecipitationandcarbonsequestrationpotential AT roniavisar largescalesemiaridafforestationcanenhanceprecipitationandcarbonsequestrationpotential AT fedortatarinov largescalesemiaridafforestationcanenhanceprecipitationandcarbonsequestrationpotential AT eyalrotenberg largescalesemiaridafforestationcanenhanceprecipitationandcarbonsequestrationpotential AT danyakir largescalesemiaridafforestationcanenhanceprecipitationandcarbonsequestrationpotential
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Large-scale semi-arid afforestation can enhance precipitation and carbon sequestration potential

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