Deforestation and Global Warming Bibliography

Chemical released by trees can help cool planet, scientists find

Scientists discover cloud-thickening chemicals in trees that could offer a new weapon in the fight against global warming

The scientists looked at chemicals called terpenes that are released from boreal forests across northern regions such as Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. The chemicals give pine forests their distinctive smell, but their function has puzzled experts for years. Some believe the trees release them to communicate, while others say they could offer protection from air pollution.

The team found the terpenes react in the air to form tiny particles called aerosols. The particles help turn water vapour in the atmosphere into clouds.

Spracklen said the team's computer models showed that the pine particles doubled the thickness of clouds some 1,000m above the forests, and would reflect an extra 5% sunlight back into space.

He said: "It might not sound a lot, but that is quite a strong cooling effect. The climate is such a finely balanced system that we think this effect is large enough to reduce temperatures over quite large areas. It gives us another reason to preserve forests."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/31/forests-climatechange

On a clear summer afternoon, the air in a typical city is about 3K (5°F) warmer than that in the surrounding countryside. This phenomenon, known as the summer urban heat island, results from a lack of vegetation and a prevalence of dark surfaces in cities. Urban heat islands can be uncomfortable, aggravate heat-related illnesses, and make heat waves more deadly. Higher air temperatures also accelerate smog formation and increase demand for air conditioning on a hot summer afternoon. This spike in air conditioning demand is expensive and polluting, and can induce brownouts or even blackouts by straining the electrical grid.

http://eetd.lbl.gov/l2m2/cool.html

Global Temperature

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/warming/etc/graphs.html

The 1860's English Tree had become more innovative than the delicate trees of earlier decades. Small toys were popularly hung on the branches, but still most gifts were placed on the table under the tree. Around this time, the Christmas tree was spreading into other   parts of Europe. The German tree was beginning to suffer from mass destruction! It had become the fashion to lop off the tip off a large tree to use as a Christmas Tree, which prevented the tree from growing further. Statutes were made to prevent people having more than one tree.

http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html

The most active period of timber harvesting in the history of Alaska's interior occurred nearly a century ago (Roessler 1997). The beginning of this era was the year 1869, when steam-powered, stern-wheeled riverboats first operated on the Yukon River (Robe 1943).

http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/25552

Global deforestation increased sharply in the mid-1800s, and about half of the mature tropical forests, between 7.5 million to 8 million square kilometres (2.9 million to 3 million sq mi) of the original 15 million to 16 million square kilometres (5.8 million to 6.2 million sq mi) that until, 1947 covered the planet have been cleared.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation#cite_ref-Wilson_41-2

The process of greenhouse gas increase is quite simple. Carbon dioxide levels increase for a number of reasons; but one of the main factors contributing to the increase of carbon levels is decay of woody material. The only way to help moderate the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is through plant life. Alive plants and trees absorb the carbon dioxide from decaying plants and trees. With a decrease in trees and plant life (due to deforestation) it is much harder to moderate these levels. Ultimately, the amount of carbon will increase due to a lack of plant life present to keep the carbon dioxide levels in check. This whole process leads to an "albedo effect which reflects more heat and light back into the atmosphere than would be the case if the sun shone on green trees�" (Dudley 23). The bottom line is that the increase in the carbon level and other greenhouse gas levels into the atmosphere leads to an increase in temperature, and eventually a change in climate and weather.

http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm

LINK WARMING GRAPHS TO Hx OF DEFORESTATION. Look for technological advances in mass tree-felling. Graph of tree-felling?

Search: trees infrared;  land vs sea temps;  trees CO₂; Scribner Log Scale;  tree history;  tree harvest history;  early Manhattan; Christmas tree harvest history;