Planting trees to combat climate change is a frequently and controversially discussed idea in recent times. Trees bind carbon dioxide (CO2) trough photosynthesis and could therefore remove this gas from the atmosphere for a certain period of time. However, when the trees die, for example, or if they are used as firewood, the greenhouse gas returns to the atmosphere. Furthermore, biogeophysical changes resulting from afforestation could also have consequences that call into question the possible benefits of this measure. This assumption is confirmed by the latest simulations carried out by Edouard L. Davin, Senior Scientist at the Institute for Atmosphere and Climate at ETH Zurich, on the Piz Daint supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS). Together with an international team of scientists participating in a large-scale pilot study on how land use and climate influence each other across different scales (Land Use and Climate Across Scales Flagship Pilot Study), Davin shows that the reforestation of northern regions could even lead to a winter warming.
Click here for original story, Supercomputer simulations show that afforestation of grasslands can be counterproductive
Source: Phys.org