Thomas Goreau - Water Follows Carbon Follows Water
From Biodiversity for a Livable Climate conference: "Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming"
Saturday November 22nd, 2014
www.bio4climate.org
2. WATER & TEMPERATURE
• MORE THAN HALF OF SOLAR RADIATION
ON LAND EVAPORATES WATER,
ABSORBING HUGE AMOUNTS OF HEAT
AND LOWERING LAND TEMPERATURE
• ABOUT 60% OF WATER ON LAND IS
RETURNED TO THE ATMOSPHERE,
RATHER THAN RUNNING OFF
• 80-90% OF THIS IS PLANT TRANSPIRATION
RATHER THAN PHYSICAL EVAPORATION
3. GOREAU & DE MELLO, 1985
AMAZON RAINFOREST
BRAZIL
5. RESTORING VEGETATION
RESTORES WATER CYCLES
• INCREASES TRANSPIRATION, CAUSING
MORE RAIN
• REDUCES SURFACE WATER RUNOFF,
SOIL EROSION, AND RUNOFF
• INCREASES RECHARGE OF
GROUNDWATER AND AQUIFERS BECAUSE
WATER FLOWS DOWN ROOTS INTO THE
GROUND
• RESTORES SPRINGS AND STREAMS