TE Log 2: Cloud Forests 12/3/10

TE Log 2: Cloud Forests 12/3/10

Cloud forests, like the one in Monteverde, are important for humans for two main reasons. First, cloud forests are dense in flora, which acts as a carbon sink, absorbing 25% of terrestrial carbon. Forests absorb 15% of the carbon that humans emit annually. This is why deforestation is one of the leading contributors to climate change and an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. We need forested land like in Monteverde to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Cloud forests are also important to humans because of their role in the hydrological cycle. Cloud forests are very wet and store water because the input does not equal the output. Puddles, like the one we saw in Monteverde, store water within the forest, which helps regulate the climate when there is a drought. Precipitation and evaporation from these stored puddles can provide atmospheric water to be cycled when otherwise a drought would plague the region. In summary, cloud forests are important because they are carbon sinks and because they help regulate the hydrological cycle.