http://www.noveslovo.sk/clanok.asp?id=13185&cislo=28/2005

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7662565.stm

October 31, 2008
> OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
>
> New research in _Royal Society journal Philosophical
> Transactions A_ "suggests that chopping down forests could
> accelerate global warming more than was thought, and that
> protecting existing trees could be one of the best ways to
> tackle the problem." The report quantifies how the release of
> the chemical terpene from tree canopies leads to cloud
> formation that cools the climate. Given ancient forests'
> massive canopies, the findings further clarify intact forest
> wildernesses' critical role in maintaining an operable
> atmosphere.
>
> Much remains to be learned regarding Gaia's workings, forests'
> interaction with climate, and the need for ecologically
> sufficient policy-making, yet it is gratifying to see formal
> science continue to catch up with Ecological Internet's
> biocentric campaigns
> ( http://www.ecoearth.info/campaigns/ ). Given additional
> recent scientific findings that old-growth forests continue to
> remove atmospheric carbon indefinitely, and primary forests
> lose much of their carbon permanently when first logged, there
> is no longer any justification for destruction of and forests.
> And presenting "sustainable" logging of such sacred and life-
> giving primeval treasures as having environmental benefits is
> ecologically bereft and criminally negligent (you know who you
> are, and we are coming for you).
>
> Through a combination of ecological science and intuition,
> Ecological Internet and predecessors have long known that loss
> of intact forest habitats is the key cause of climate change,
> as well as general biodiversity, ecosystem and biosphere
> collapse. We know that ending humanity's cutting and burning
> of itself to death is key to our shared survival. In
> particular, global ecological sustainability is going to
> require giving up timbers accessed from ancient forests, and
> restoring old-growth forests worldwide. Ecological Internet is
> going to keep on saying this, confronting those that say
> otherwise, whatever the costs, because it is the ecological
> truth necessary to sustain being.
> g.b.
>
> Discuss this Forest Protection Blog ( http://forests.org/blog/ )
> posting at:
> http://forests.org/blog/2008/10/science-regarding-forests-clim.asp
>
> *******************************
> RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
>
> Chemical released by trees can help cool planet, scientists
> find
> Scientists discover cloud-thickening chemicals in trees that
> could offer a new weapon in the fight against global warming
> Source: Copyright 2008, Guardian
> Date: October 31, 2008
> Byline: David Adam
>
> Trees could be more important to the Earth's climate than
> previously thought, according to a new study that reveals
> forests help to block out the sun.
>
> Scientists in the UK and Germany have discovered that trees
> release a chemical that thickens clouds above them, which
> reflects more sunlight and so cools the Earth. The research
> suggests that chopping down forests could accelerate global
> warming more than was thought, and that protecting existing
> trees could be one of the best ways to tackle the problem.
>
> Dominick Spracklen, of the Institute for Climate and
> Atmospheric Science at Leeds University, said: "We think this
> could have quite a significant effect. You can think of
> forests as climate air conditioners."
>
> The scientists looked at chemicals called terpenes that are
> released from boreal forests across northern regions such as
> Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. The chemicals give pine
> forests their distinctive smell, but their function has
> puzzled experts for years. Some believe the trees release them
> to communicate, while others say they could offer protection
> from air pollution.
>
> The team found the terpenes react in the air to form tiny
> particles called aerosols. The particles help turn water
> vapour in the atmosphere into clouds.
>
> Spracklen said the team's computer models showed that the pine
> particles doubled the thickness of clouds some 1,000m above
> the forests, and would reflect an extra 5% sunlight back into
> space.
>
> He said: "It might not sound a lot, but that is quite a strong
> cooling effect. The climate is such a finely balanced system
> that we think this effect is large enough to reduce
> temperatures over quite large areas. It gives us another
> reason to preserve forests."
>
> The research, which will be published in a special edition of
> the Royal Society journal Philosophical Transactions A, is the
> first to quantify the cooling effect of the released
> chemicals. The scientists say the findings "must be included
> in climate models in order to make realistic predictions".
>
> Because trees release more terpenes in warmer weather, the
> discovery suggests that forests could act as a negative
> feedback on climate, to dampen future temperature rise. The
> team looked at forests of mainly pine and spruce trees, but
> Spracklen said other trees also produce terpenes so the
> cooling effect should be found in other regions, including
> tropical rainforests.