New calculations have revealed that an increase in carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere leads to a decrease in cloud formation. This discovery by a team of Dutch and German scientists has identified another feedback mechanism in the climate system, which is a self-reinforcing process. The researchers used a computer model to examine the relationships between soils, the water cycle, the atmosphere, and plant growth. They tested three different scenarios, of which only two had a significant impact on further global warming. The first scenario involved doubling the current CO2 content of the atmosphere from 0.038 percent to 0.075 percent, while the second scenario included the same increased CO2 levels and a rise in average temperature by 2 degrees Celsius.
The results of the calculation show that the exchange processes between soils, the atmosphere, and vegetation play a much more significant role in climate change and CO2 increase than previously thought. The first reaction to an increase in CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere is the plant metabolism, which triggers a chain reaction. This process begins harmlessly, but it leads to a reduction in the formation of cumulus clouds, which in turn reflects less sunlight and further warms the Earth’s surface. The warming of the soil then causes more turbulence in the lower atmosphere, which transports significantly more warm air but less moisture. This reaction of the plants further amplifies the process of warming the soil and atmosphere.
Jos Lelieveld, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, confirms that “evaporation will decrease by 15 percent. The atmospheric boundary layer will dry out, resulting in fewer clouds forming.” The calculation shows that the seemingly insignificant reduction in the amount of evaporation of liquids by plants has a massive and direct impact on the climate. The researchers have found a new feedback mechanism in our climate system, which self-reinforces in a short time. In a few weeks, the scientists plan to begin new simulations on the climate model, this time calculating the explicit effects of CO2 increase in the Amazon rainforest.
In conclusion, this new discovery highlights the complexity of the Earth’s climate system and the need for continued research to understand its mechanisms fully. The findings also emphasize the urgency of reducing carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
