Deforestation has long been known to impact local temperatures, but a new study suggests it may also have a broader effect on monsoon rains. In addition to releasing carbon dioxide, deforestation alters the reflection of light on the Earth's surface and the amount of moisture in the atmosphere from plant transpiration. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore used a model to simulate the effects of deforestation on monsoon rainfall. They conducted three deforestation experiments in different climate zones to study the impacts on rainfall patterns. Deforestation in temperate and high latitudes has altered atmospheric circulation patterns, causing the monsoon rains to shift southward. This has led to decreased precipitation in the northern hemisphere monsoon regions of East Asia, North America, North Africa, and South Asia, while increasing rainfall in the southern hemisphere monsoon regions of South Africa, South America, and Australia. The impact of remote deforestation in mid- and high-latitudes on tropical rainfall is greater than that of local tropical deforestation, according to a study. The South Asian monsoon region, specifically India, would experience the most significant decline in precipitation, with an 18 percent decrease. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), emphasizes the importance of considering remote impacts on rainfall when evaluating the climate benefits of reforestation efforts. The research pointed out that the amount of land dedicated to crops and pastures has grown worldwide from 620 million hectares in the 1700s, which accounted for approximately 7 percent of the total land area, to 4,690 million hectares in 2000, representing about one-third of the Earth's land surface.