GEOG 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Diurnal Temperature Variation, Sensible Heat, Latent Heat
Document Summary
Palm oil plantations: building roads deforestation/logging expansion of agriculture. Insulating effect of the forest canopy cover is removed radiation directly hits the surface, warming it. Deforestation soils become more vulnerable to erosion (due to loss of moisture, etc. ) Decrease in (outgoing) net radiation and evapotranspiration less convection/cloud formation decrease in precipitation. Outgoing net radiation increases due to albedo increases. Decrease in evapotranspiration lower water vapor content. More co2 released (via burning) less co2 sequestered in plants reduced photosynthesis high concentrations of co2 in atmosphere. Another agent of climate change in the tropics: Desertification: a process through which desert-like conditions are brought about in areas where they did not previously exist. Causes of desertification (positive feedback loop, reinforcing effects*) Not enough rain dry soil no vegetation unprotected soil erosion. Removal of vegetation, including roots destroys the soil making it vulnerable to erosion. Many crops continually grown on the same land.
