<
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a69638301/china-reforesting-changed-hydrology/>
"It’s no secret that China is particularly adept at building things. The
world’s largest dam? In China. Largest high-speed rail network? That’d be
China. Largest wind farm? China. Solar Array? Argentina. Really? Nope, it’s
also China. Largest ancient landmark? You get the picture.
Alongside all of that building, China has also been growing. Taking inspiration
from that last infrastructure accolade, China began growing the Three-North
Shelterbelt, or “The Great Green Wall,” in 1978 as an effort to combat soil
erosion and decrease desert storms. The project, the country’s state-sponsored
media announced, was finally complete as of last year.
According to
Reuters, China grew 116,000 square miles of trees, increasing
the country’s total forest coverage from 10 percent in 1949 to roughly 25
percent in 2024. But a new study published in the journal
Earth’s Future,
shows that all those additional trees (roughly 78 billion since the early 80s,
by some estimates) come with some unforeseen consequences for China’s water
distribution."
Via Christoph S.
Another take:
China Has Planted So Many Trees it’s Changed its Entire Water Cycle
<
https://woodcentral.com.au/china-has-planted-so-many-trees-its-changed-its-entire-water-cycle/>
"China’s decades‑long campaign to restore forests and grasslands has altered
the country’s water distribution in ways scientists are only beginning to
grasp. Now, new research shows that large‑scale “regreening” projects have
reactivated the water cycle, shifting rainfall and evaporation patterns across
vast regions.
Between 2001 and 2020, vegetation changes reduced water availability in the
eastern monsoon belt and the arid northwest — areas that together cover nearly
three‑quarters of China’s landmass. At the same time, water supplies increased
across the Tibetan Plateau, according to findings published in
Earth’s Future
on October 4.
“We find that land cover changes redistribute water,” said study co‑author Arie
Staal, assistant professor of ecosystem resilience at Utrecht University.
“China has done massive‑scale regreening over the past decades. They have
actively restored thriving ecosystems, specifically in the Loess Plateau. This
has also reactivated the water cycle.”"
Via Clarice Boomshakala.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
