China Planted 78B New Trees Affecting Its Water Cycle

5 hours ago

Reforestation has benefits but can cause unintended consequences, as seen in China's large-scale regreening efforts.
China's massive tree-planting initiatives, like the Great Green Wall, have altered hydrology, shifting precipitation and reducing water availability in eastern and northwestern regions.
The change is driven by increased evapotranspiration (evaporation and transpiration), leading to more moisture moving to the Tibetan Plateau while drying other areas.
Land use changes, such as converting grasslands to forests, impact water availability, precipitation, and evapotranspiration at varying rates.
China's water distribution is uneven, with northern regions having most population and arable land but limited water, highlighting the need to consider hydrological cycles in reforestation planning.

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