В отличие от множества прошлых «людей года», шведская экоактивистка искренне верит в то, что говорит, и столь же искренне желает планете добра. Тем не менее редакция Time может быть кое в чем неправа и в этот раз. Расскажем о ситуации подробнее.

Just as terrestrial plant biomass is growing in response to increasing atmospheric CO2, climate change, and other anthropogenic influences, so is climate affected by those variations in vegetation. Forzieri et al. used satellite observations to analyze how changes in leaf area index (LAI), a measure of vegetation density, have influenced the terrestrial energy balance and local climates over the past several decades. An increase in LAI has helped to warm boreal zones through a reduction of surface albedo and to cool arid regions of the southern hemisphere by increasing surface evaporation. Furthermore, more densely vegetated areas displayed a greater capacity to mitigate the impact of rapid climate fluctuations on the surface energy budget.

Science , this issue p. [1180][1]

Changes in vegetation cover associated with the observed greening may affect several biophysical processes, whose net effects on climate are unclear. We analyzed remotely sensed dynamics in leaf area index (LAI) and energy fluxes in order…

Flood Map shows the map of the area which could get flooded if the water level rises to a particular elevation. It may help flood risk assessment or flood management. Sea level rise map. Bathymetric map, ocean depth.