On Feb 16, 5:55 pm, "Lawrence Akutagawa"
sbcglobal.net>
wrote:> "Alvin E. Toda"
lava.net> wrote in messagenews:1203180900-sch@news.lava.net...
>
>
>
>
>>> On Fri, 15 Feb 2008, Maren at google wrote:
>
>>> If you want to get CO2 out of the atmosphere grow
>>> trees, especially hardwood trees, they store the most
>>> of it for the longest time. You may get more rain
>>> that way, which in some places would be a good thing
>>> ... The Hamakua Coast is a much more pleasant drive
>>> since it isn't so windy anymore, and a lot less dry
>>> too.
>
>>> Maren (occasional wikipedia contributor)
>
>> Have you read something about trees in some (tropical?)
>> climates being less effective or maybe even having a
>> negative effect? Thought I saw that someplace. Don't
>> see how that can apply to Hawaii. It seems that trees
>> have a cooling effect here.
>
>> No one can deny that a lot of carbon is stored in the
>> wood. But if the trees also lead to higer temperatures,
>> then it might be counter productive.
>
> Let's see if I can translate what Alvin is saying here -
>
> On the one hand, trees - particularly in tropical areas - have a
> heating (I
> think that's what he means by "less effective" and "negative effect")
> influence on climate.
Trees hold water and their canopy causes evaporation to be less
than if there were no trees. Water holds heat. Humid soil as well as
probably humid air takes more energy to heat up and holds it longer,
leading to the cooling off process being slower. There's no energy
magically created or destroyed. So if there are more trees it's rather
likely that the days are cooler and the nights warmer ...
In keeping with this: the time periods in the last few years when
we had both highest and lowest daily temperature records broken
in the same week and sometimes in the same day were always
times when it was very dry (when lawns get crunchy and forests
transparent).
- As evaporation also takes energy (it's a phase change after all)
I sometimes refer to our washing line as a low-tech swamp cooler. -
Aloha,
Maren
HiloBeads: Beads - Beading Supplies - Hand-made Jewelry
http://www.hilobeads.com/
