Cover crops may magnify climate warming at local levels

By Brett Anderson, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

1/02/2019, 5:06:43 PM

Cover crops grown in farm fields during the winter appear to be having a warming influence on temperatures in the northern U.S. and southern Canada, according to new research from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)).

A cover crop protecting a soybean field.

A cover crop is a plant that is used primarily to reduce erosion, improve soil conditions, enhance water availability, reduce weeds and help control pests and diseases.

Cover crops are beneficial during wet and dry periods and can help increase crop yields.

Examples of cover crops include clover, vetch, beans, rye, wheat, barley, oats and forage grasses.

According to the study, the cover crops create a darker surface compared to a snow covered field, which leads to a greater absorption of the sun's energy and a local warming effect.

Wintertime warming from cover crops is particularly pronounced in regions where winter snowpack is more variable, such as the U.S. Midwest.

Tall, leafy cover crops can warm the surface in a growing area by as much as 3 deg. C (5.5 deg F.).

“In general, the height tends to matter more than the leafiness, but together they have a strong impact,” said Danica Lombardozzi, a plant ecologist at NCAR and lead author on the paper."The study's results suggest that farmers could reap the full benefits of winter cover crops and reduce the impact on climate by planting shorter and less leafy crops."

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com

Comments

Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.

Global climate change

The world's oceans are warming faster than previously thought

Global climate change - January 16, 2019, 1:55:15 PM EST

Warming of the oceans is accelerating
900-year Northeast U.S. climate record revealed

Global climate change - January 15, 2019, 1:12:10 PM EST

The longest and highest resolution climate record for the Northeast U.S. has been reconstructed.
End-of-the-year global sea ice update

Global climate change - January 09, 2019, 12:37:01 PM EST

Global sea ice extent continues to run well below normal.
Cover crops may magnify climate warming at local levels

Global climate change - January 02, 2019, 5:06:43 PM EST

Cover crops grown in farm fields during the winter appear to be having a warming influence on local temperatures.
Latest Arctic Report Card shows a dire situation in the far north

Global climate change - December 12, 2018, 1:51:49 PM EST

This year's Arctic Report Card is quite sobering once again.
Climate Change impacts on the northeastern US

Global climate change - December 05, 2018, 1:50:24 PM EST

Current and projected climate change impacts to the northeastern United States based on the latest National Climate Assessment
U.S. and Canada experiencing more days of extreme high temperatures during summer and winter

Global climate change - November 28, 2018, 11:11:32 AM EST

Extreme heat events in the U.S. and Canada have increased since 1980.
How did October 2018 rank in terms of global temperature?

Global climate change - November 20, 2018, 1:03:09 PM EST

Another top five warmest October on record for the globe.