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Possible climatic impact of tropical deforestation

Abstract

OF the various mechanisms suggested by which man might change the planetary climate, the removal of tropical rain forests to increase arable acreage seems to be one of the more imminent. For this reason we selected this as one of the first problems to be tested in our recently updated climate model. Bearing in mind the fallibility of computer simulations, we find overall global cooling and a reduction in precipitation: a larger tropical reduction being almost balanced by a subtropical increase.

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References

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POTTER, G., ELLSAESSER, H., MACCRACKEN, M. et al. Possible climatic impact of tropical deforestation. Nature 258, 697–698 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258697a0

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