Climatic impact of tropical lowland deforestation on nearby montane cloud forests

Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) depend on predictable, frequent, and prolonged immersion in cloud. Clearing upwind lowland forest alters surfac e energy budgets in ways that influence dry season cloud fields and thus th e TMCF environment. Landsat and Geostationary Operational Environmental Sat ellite imagery show that deforested areas of Costa Rica's Caribbean lowland s remain relatively cloud-free when forested regions have well-developed dr y season cumulus cloud fields. Further, regional atmospheric simulations sh ow that cloud base heights are higher over pasture than over tropical fores t areas under reasonable dry season conditions. These results suggest that [and use in tropical lowlands has serious impacts on ecosystems in adjacent mountains.