Marie KEIJZER "Restoring microbial drivers of the earth’s hydrological dynamics, climate and our future"
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Marie KEIJZER "Restoring microbial drivers of the earth’s hydrological dynamics, climate and our future"
- 1. UNCCD 2-nd Scientific Conference Bonn, April 10, 2013 1
- 2. 2
- 3. but none can ‘Some may still avoid the raging deny the fires, overwhelming crippling judgment of droughts and science… more powerful storms’. 3
- 4. 1. Primary forests loss 6 b ha (75%) source UNEP 2. Land Oxidation and degradation --> 3. Burning over 340 bt fossil fuels (emissions= 10 btC/an) © GRID-Arendal 4
- 5. 5
- 6. It’s all about water: 1. Latent heat fluxes 2. Surface albedo 3. Precipitation nuclei 4. Rainfall 5. Radiation ‘windows’ 6
- 7. Microbes govern these hydrological processes •Organic and dust micro-nuclei •The protection of soils •The biological sequestration of carbon •The production of microbial precipitation nuclei •The biological nucleation 7
- 8. Extensive deforestation enhanced shortwave radiative forcing and temperature “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself”. Franklin D. Roosevelt 8
- 9. Conclusions • Science: more research on microbial drivers governing hydrology • Implementation: Plant trees! • Policy: from Carbon to hydrology 9
- 10. Thank you! 10
Editor's Notes
- Are weready for 500 ppm in 2030 or +4°C?
- + 4°C ? could mean dangerous climate feedbacks that will impact largely via hydrological extremes such as; increases in aridification, droughts, fires, storms and the desertification and collapse of ecosystems.
- Resulting from Clearing 75% or over 6 billion hectares of the earth’s primary forests (UNEP)Oxidising, degrading and exposing even larger areas of bare soils (UNEP) and more recentlyBurning over 340 billion tonnes of fossil fuels with current emissions of 10 btC/an.
- Given this reality we need to look beyond just reducing future CO2 emissions and find safe ways to;Cool regions and the climate so as to offset dangerous warming and its feedback effects.Draw down carbon back into its safe soil sinks so as to reduce its greenhouse effect.Transition agro-ecosystems and communities to just, safe low carbon futures.
- It’s all about waterWater has governed some 95% of the heat dynamics of our planet by key hydrological processes for the past 4 billion years. These processes include; Latent heat fluxes that cool the earth’s surface (25% of incident solar heat is used to evaporate and transpire water and transfer it into the upper atmosphere).Surface albedothat limit excessive absorption of incident solar energy and the over -heating of soils and their re-radiation of the long wave infra red heat Precipitation nuclei that coalesce the humid haze micro-droplets into larger cloud droplets to form dense high albedo clouds that used to cover 50% of the planet and could reflect up to 60% of the local incident solar energy back out to space to greatly cool that region and the planet.Rainfall that is induced by the precipitation nuclei and removes the humid hazes and sustains the extensive green vegetation cover and latent heat fluxes that cooled the planet.Radiation ‘windows’ night time escape of up to 10% of the incident solar radiation
- The microbial drivers governing these hydrological processes and the earth’s climateWhile by definition not seen and thus easily ignored, microbes have been key drivers in the evolution and regulation of these hydrological dynamics for the past 3.8 billion years; including via;The production and regulation of most of the organic and dust micro-nuclei that govern the density and persistence of the humid hazes over the oceans (via di-methy sulphide) and land (dust)that has sustained the earth’s natural greenhouse warming and its habitable climate.The protection and vegetation of soils to limit their over absorption of solar energy and its re-radiation as infra red heat (which largely governs the natural greenhouse effect). The biological sequestration of carbon from the air into stable soil humates and glomalin that vastly enhance the water able to be held in soils to sustain cooling latent heat fluxes.The production of microbial precipitation nuclei that are critical to coalesce warming humid hazes into the dense high albedo clouds that cool regions and generate cooling rainfalls.The biological nucleation and induction of much of the rainfall particularly in warmer forested continental regions where salt and ice nuclei are rare.
- Only by regenerating the health of our soils and landscape can we secure a safe climate and future.The good news is we can do it via direct local action on each m² of land and forest tree. We have abundant degraded land, sunshine, CO2 and waste biomass and nutrients to do it with. Our challenge is to empower and catalyze the needed capacity and change urgently at all levels.
- From a scientific perspective : need to develop the research on microbial drivers governing these hydrological processes and their links to our climate as it remains complex .While climatology has long accepted that these hydrological processes govern and dominate the earth’s climate, it was because they were so dominant that many examining the cause of the abnormal recent climate changes assumed that humans could not possibly have altered them.Furthermore because they were so variable in time and space and difficult to quantify and model, they have been excluded from initial attempts to model the recent abnormal climate changes which from the outset were assumed to be caused by the abnormal human induced greenhouse warming associated with the recent rise in CO2 levels; and were specified and funded on this restrictive basis. From an implementation’s perspective : plant treesHighly effective practical options exist to regenerate the carbon content, health and structure of soils and through that their capacity to infiltrate, retain rainfalls and sustain and regenerate healthy green forests and rangelands so as to rebuild these hydrological cycles and combat desertification.Innovative farming as well as reforestation are bio-sequestering up to 10 tonnes carbon per hectare per annum and thereby regenerate the hydrology, health, resilience and productivity of their landscapes. Our imperative and challenge is to catalyze this ability globally at a very large scale. From a policy’s perspective we need to move the discussion from Carbon emissions to the Earth’s hydrological processes and soil restoration.