„On the effect of landscape design on climate resilience and the meso-climate“ … or … „Working with plants, soils and water to cool the climate and rehydrate Earth’s landscapes“.
The „Climate Landscapes Conference„, 18.-19.10.2022, online.
More vegetation, fertile soils and water storage
… strengthen the small water cycles,
… make agriculture and forestry more resilient,
… promote groundwater recharge and flood protection,
… cool the climate.
A growing body of evidence suggests that ongoing forest destruction, soil degradation, sealing of soils, and the associated loss of terrestrial soil water storage are disrupting the movement of water into and through the atmosphere.
This is causing significant shifts in precipitation, resulting in less rainfall and drought in many areas of the world, an increase in regional temperatures, and a worsening of climate change.
At the same time, the natural cooling potential of vegetation caused by evaporation has been largely overlooked in considerations of how to overcome climate change.
In addition, our hydrological infrastructure is optimized to rapidly drain precipitation through sewers and rivers instead of keeping water in the landscape, which further exacerbates the situation.
These changes affect regional climate, but can also affect distant regions through long-distance effects (called teleconnections). Understanding the interwoven relationships and resulting energy fluxes between vegetation, soils, and water on the ground and in and with the atmosphere can help us mitigate climate change while creating resilient ecosystems.
