Tropical deforestation significantly reduces rainfall

From the Amazon to the evergreen forests of Africa and Southeast Asia, large-scale deforestation threatens reductions in rainfall across the tropics, according to new research.
The threat is most acute in the Congo Basin -- forecast to endure rapid deforestation in the coming years -- which could see rainfall reduced by up to ten percent by the end of the century, researchers found.
The study, published in the journal Nature, used satellite observations over recent decades to confirm predictions in climate change computer models that rainfall would be reduced across the tropics as more forest is cut down.
The findings add to concerns that "we could come to a point where the rainforests cannot sustain themselves," said the study's lead author, Callum Smith of the University of Leeds.
Tropical deforestation significantly reduces rainfall: study