How Does Deforestation Affect Biogeochemical Cycles

Deforestation primarily affects biogeochemical cycling by disrupting the water cycle, allowing the environment to lose water more easily and significant elements and nutrients with it. The greatest impact of deforestation on a given area’s biogeochemical processes occurs by interruption of the water cycle.

What cycles are affected by deforestation?

Deforestation facilitates one part of the carbon cycle, increasing the CO2 in the atmosphere. It also prevents forests from absorbing any further carbon by destroying the trees. It, therefore, inhibits this aspect of the cycle and leads to increased levels of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

How does deforestation affect nutrient cycles?

Deforestation disrupts nutrient cycling Releasing these nutrients in tropical ecosystems can lead to desertification, a process by which the land becomes infertile due to fewer plants being available to take up excess nutrients [8]. … This disruption has a knock-on effect for the cycling of nutrients.