Land ecosystems play a critical role in climate regulation. Understanding the water retention properties of soils, cloud formation, and other natural processes should be central to discourses about the well-being of our planet. Unfortunately, the sense of urgency attached to climate reporting has had countless negative repercussions. In addition to misleading narratives and inaccuracies, the dash has meant that critical aspects contributing to the warming of our planet are left unattended as the easier-to-explain ideas take centre stage.
It would not be surprising for some beginners to mistake CO2 for a heat source due to the fervent focus on this single thread, despite it being weaved in a larger, complex, and unique conversation. The global warming argument, put simply, is that heat radiation from the sun enters our atmosphere, is radiated back, but encounters a blanket that prevents it from exiting, hence getting trapped and causing warming, which in turn causes a change of climate.
Warming of the earth’s atmosphere has two critical cause components: solar radiation (direct and re-radiated) and heat-trapping within the atmosphere. Heat-trapping involves the blanket of CO2 and other gases with the potential to limit the escape of heat into space, a subject widely covered in popular media– discussions about capping carbon emissions and technologies to reduce the blanket of greenhouse gases fall in this category. The first component, solar radiation, which is the most critical, is often marginalised. It is imperative that we initiate a comprehensive dialogue concerning the effective management of reflected heat, for example, by having more water on the landscape. Regrettably, even discussions about the role of trees and soil are often limited to reducing carbon emissions. Carbon sequestration, for example, aims at keeping carbon from the atmosphere.
Latent energy and water
Latent energy is the hidden energy released or absorbed without temperature change during the change in the state of a substance, such as during vaporisation or melting; it is stored in the molecular structure of substances such as water. The phrase “hidden” contrasts Latent heat with “Sensible” heat, such as radiation from the earth’s surface, which can be felt as a substance changes temperature. Condensation and evaporation are crucial processes in transferring heat between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere. Evaporation absorbs heat energy from the earth’s surface, which is later released into the atmosphere. The impact of this phenomenon on warming or cooling the earth and eventual climate change depends on the character of the clouds formed.
The complex relation between clouds and the warming of the earth presents uncertainties in climate modelling since clouds can both warm and cool the climate. The impact of aerosols also adds to the complexity: aerosols can reflect sunlight back into space or alter the properties of clouds, causing a cooling effect, while they can absorb heat from sunlight, causing a warming effect. Generally, high, featherly clouds allow sunlight to pass through, but they trap heat from escaping, with the potential of a warming effect on the earth. Conversely, low, thick clouds may reflect sunlight back into space, cooling the Earth.
The cloud-climate feedback is such that warming impacts clouds, and clouds impact warming. The small water cycle is a key regulator of moisture in the landscape. Water evaporates from the land, the vapour condenses and falls back onto earth as rainfall, eventually getting absorbed by the soil or used by plants. Variations in the structure of trees and tree groves on the landscape affect wind turbulence. By trees changing wind flow, areas of high turbulence intensity and low turbulence intensity can be created, increasing turbulence. The efficacy of wind in shaping the small water cycle is therefore enhanced by appropriate tree planting that enhances optimal turbulence. Faster winds enhance the evaporation of water into water vapour as wind currents carry water vapor away from its source, allowing more evaporation to take place.
When water cannot be optimally absorbed by soil due to impermeable surfaces, it flows directly into rivers and oceans, disrupting the small water cycle. Disruptions on the small water cycle due to unhealthy agricultural practices, deforestation, and urbanisation not only cause runoff but also reduces soil absorbency and increase heat and carbon radiation. Restoring the small water cycle thus heavily relies on the restoration of depleted soils. Compaction is another factor that compromises soil water retention capacity by reducing the pore spaces between soil particles.
Humification and Mineralisation
Organic matter in soil has immense water-holding capacity, arguably up to ten times its weight, because of its structure that attracts water molecules to its surface. Despite the need for nutrients for plant growth, efforts have to be made to stabilise organic carbon in the landscape if we want to promote small water cycles. A balance between humification that stabilises organic matter and mineralisation that releases carbon and mineral nutrients is thus indispensable. Humification produces humic substances like humic acid, fulvic acid, humin, humate, and humus. Mineralisation, on the other hand, breaks organic matter and produces CO2 from Carbon, as well as nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P)), and sulfur (S) that are released into the soil. Mineralisation also produces energy that is released for microorganisms and plants to use. Based on research from forest litter, Larionova et al. (2017) established that carbon losses maximised in the first months of decomposition and were lowest at the end of the 390-day experiment; values were highest in high temperature and excess moisture. Mineralisation is thus consistent with temperature and water content variations during the initial(labile) stages; this consistency reduces as available substrates get depleted.
Closing thoughts
Understandably, all people cannot focus on all things. The totality of global warming and climate change studies can only be understood if we embrace input from all perspectives, adding to the knowledge base, course-correcting, and innovating solutions. Unfortunately, some perspectives fall by the wayside as others gain more prominence in the public eye.
The focus on the atmospheric blanket has undoubtedly neglected the primary problem–heat radiation. In this article, I have tried to argue for the reconsideration of this primary issue and to pose reminders about the import of land ecosystems in solving global challenges. Outside of the general concepts such as Sustainability, Mitigation, and Adaptation, keywords associated with global warming are dominated by terms related to policy, climate finance, and climate activism, followed by keywords related to climate impacts such as flooding and technological issues such as solar power. Land-related issues such as afforestation, agricultural practices, and green infrastructure often take a back seat.
One advantage of employing ecosystem approaches is that they tend to be multifunctional. One initiative could contribute to controlling environmental disasters such as flooding while contributing to food security and regulating climate. Yes, the complexities in the functioning of ecosystems can be intimidating, but the fruits are also versatile for the well-being of mankind.
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