Know Your Planet: How do plants affect weather?
A major component of climate change unknowns stems from interactions between changes in climate and changes in ecosystems. This episode of the "Know Your Planet" video series from Stanford Earth Matters looks at how plants shape weather patterns and influence climate.
How do plants affect weather?
Part of the Know Your Planet video series
The effects of an early frost, drenching rain, or prolonged drought can be seen in the leaves, blossoms, weeds and fruit all around us. Less obvious are the ways in which vegetation actively drives weather and climate patterns. In fact, research shows that plants can alter these patterns in some parts of the world by up to 30 percent.
As scientists get better at pinpointing how this influence plays out in different regions and across different types of landcover – such as forests, crops, savannahs and cities – it could make it possible to improve weather forecasts weeks or even months in advance. It could also make it easier to anticipate the severity of droughts and heat waves in time to provide warnings and support to vulnerable populations and businesses.
But it’s not just about the weather. “A major component of climate change unknowns is this interaction between changes in climate and changes in ecosystems,” said hydrologist Alexandra Konings, an assistant professor of Earth system science in Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Science (Stanford Earth).
In this episode of the "Know Your Planet" video series from Stanford Earth Matters, Konings guides us through some of the interactions that empower plants to shape local and regional weather patterns and influence Earth’s climate.
Related Research
How vegetation alters climate
Strong feedbacks found between the atmosphere and vegetation explain up to 30 percent of precipitation and surface radiation variance. The discovery could help improve seasonal weather predictions.
Beyond rainfall
Remote sensing data suggests productivity of U.S. grasslands is more sensitive to dryness of the atmosphere than precipitation – an insight that stands to enhance understanding how ecosystems will respond to climate change.
Diverse forests are stronger against drought
Diversity reigns when water gets scarce. Research suggests the most resilient forests are made up of trees that have a wider variety of rates for water moving up from the soil.
Study tracks "memory" of soil moisture
Positioned at the interface between land and atmosphere, water in Earth's topsoil plays a key role in weather and climate. But its behavior has been hard to analyze until now.
Media Contacts
Josie Garthwaite
School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences
(650) 497-0947, josieg@stanford.edu
Alexandra Konings
School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences
konings@stanford.edu
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