Article: Save the clouds, too. (Spectrum).(deforestation changes weather patterns)(Brief Article)

Deforestation affects more than the forest and its inhabitants-it also changes weather patterns by reducing the amount of water in the air for cloud formation. Researchers from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have found that logging in Costa Rica's lowland forests is changing the region's weather. UAH scientists tracked the way clouds are formed in the lowlands and then swept into the mountains by strong winds. Normally, trees distribute water into the air through transpiration. This also cools the air, which keeps the cloud base low. The low-lying clouds are a vital source of water for the mountain forests during the annual dry season, but when trees are cut ...

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