Can planting trees on land change the oceans? Join Lennard and Charlotte this week as they dive into surprising research exploring how large-scale reforestation doesn't just pull CO2 from the air, but also alters Earth's energy balance and affects the blue planet. Here comes a fascinating example of how numerical models allow scientists to explore unimaginable futures of forested and tree-less worlds.

Additional show notes: the Portmann et al. (2022) study considered different tree functional types based on pre-industrial distribution, so yes, the model is set up to consider different forest types, such as coniferous forest and broadleaf forests.

Furthermore, Lennard and Charlotte were indeed talking about the same thing. The North Atlantic Warming Hole is also referred to as the 'Cold Blob'.

Find the two studies we discuss here:

Portmann, R., Beyerle, U., Davin, E. et al. Global forestation and deforestation affect remote climate via adjusted atmosphere and ocean circulation. Nat Commun 13, 5569 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33279-9

Banville, P. E., MacIsaac, A. J., and Zickfeld, K.: Ocean dynamics amplify remote warming effects of reforestation, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4000, 2025.

Don't hesitate to contact Charlotte in case you have questions, or with suggestions for further podcast episodes on the topic ([email protected], www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-walter-6930791aa)).