Earth and Planetary Sciences (all); General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Abstract :
[en] Tree restoration is an effective way to store atmospheric carbon and mitigate climate change. However, large-scale tree-cover expansion has long been known to increase evaporation, leading to reduced local water availability and streamflow. More recent studies suggest that increased precipitation, through enhanced atmospheric moisture recycling, can offset this effect. Here we calculate how 900 million hectares of global tree restoration would impact evaporation and precipitation using an ensemble of data-driven Budyko models and the UTrack moisture recycling dataset. We show that the combined effects of directly enhanced evaporation and indirectly enhanced precipitation create complex patterns of shifting water availability. Large-scale tree-cover expansion can increase water availability by up to 6% in some regions, while decreasing it by up to 38% in others. There is a divergent impact on large river basins: some rivers could lose 6% of their streamflow due to enhanced evaporation, while for other rivers, the greater evaporation is counterbalanced by more moisture recycling. Several so-called hot spots for forest restoration could lose water, including regions that are already facing water scarcity today. Tree restoration significantly shifts terrestrial water fluxes, and we emphasize that future tree-restoration strategies should consider these hydrological effects.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Hoek van Dijke, Anne J. ; Remote Sensing and Natural Resources Modelling Group, ERIN Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Belvaux, Luxembourg ; Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands ; Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Herold, Martin ; Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands ; Helmholtz GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, Telegrafenberg, Germany
Mallick, Kaniska; Remote Sensing and Natural Resources Modelling Group, ERIN Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Belvaux, Luxembourg
Benedict, Imme ; Meteorology and Air Quality Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Machwitz, Miriam; Remote Sensing and Natural Resources Modelling Group, ERIN Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Belvaux, Luxembourg
Schlerf, Martin; Remote Sensing and Natural Resources Modelling Group, ERIN Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Belvaux, Luxembourg
Pranindita, Agnes; Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden ; Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Theeuwen, Jolanda J. E. ; Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands ; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Bastin, Jean-François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Biodiversité et Paysage
Teuling, Adriaan J. ; Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Language :
English
Title :
Shifts in regional water availability due to global tree restoration
This study was supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) (PRIDE15/10623093/HYDROCSI) (A.J.H.v.D., K.M., M.M., M.S.). We thank D. Ellison for his useful feedback on a draft version of the manuscript.
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