Plant growth can have a cooling effect on the environment

Research has shown that, cities and urban areas are hotter than rural areas because of the effect called “urban heat island”. As cities contain numerous hard, thick surfaces that absorb heat, they remain hotter than natural areas. They tend to lack the green spaces and trees that would absorb to hot air. As a result, the overwhelming heat is inescapable because both the buildings and streets radiate it.

While this may seem hopeless, plants can come to the rescue!  Plants are consistently cooler than common materials and manage to bring the temperature down.

This is broadly known at Toucheng Leisure Farm which is using it to its benefit. The farm planted greenery on the top of the roof of shelters for animals and patio where our customers take a rest  to cool down the temperature around these areas and also to reduce heat and provide cooling environment for its visitors during hot seasons throughout the year.

 Is scientifically proven that plants can directly reduce heat by up to 10 degrees. Due to the fact that plants act like natural air conditioners they are able to evaporate water in their leaves to leave the air nice and cool. Trees and vegetation also lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade and through evapotranspiration.

How it works?

There are several ways in which plants can alter the temperature of the atmosphere. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants use energy from the Sun to drawn down the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then use it to create carbohydrates they need to grow.

Plants also cool the landscape directly through the process known as transpiration. When the surrounding atmosphere heats up, plant release excess water onto the air from their leaves. By releasing evaporated water, plants cool themselves and the surrounding environment. Large amount of transpiration can significantly increase water vapor in the atmosphere, causing more rainfall and cloud cover in an area. The additional cloud cover can often reinforce the cooling by blocking sunlight.

In general the increased leaf area results in more evapotranspiration globally, and thus creates a cooling effect. As plants breathe and perspire they help to cool the atmosphere.

Through the pores called stomata in their leaves, plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that they use for photosynthesis. They then give off water through the stomata in a process called evapotranspiration which cools the plant just as perspiration cools human beings. Plants cool the atmosphere through releasing water vapor when they get too hot which is a process similar to sweating. The reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has an indirect cooling effect. Evapotranspiration also cools the surrounding air—a tree can transpire up to 15 liters of water on a hot day.  

The process is shown on this picture:

To sum up:

Plants lose water by evaporation from their leaves, and the process of evaporation takes heat from the leaf, which then cools the air around it. Even if the plants aren't actually cooling the air, the air closer to them will still be cooler than it would be if they weren't there. So on a sunny day the air over a field of grass will always be cooler than the air over bare ground.

With all this in mind, plants are vital to a hot environment. We all need an escape from the heat, and plants can help even in the smallest ways. Plants promote clean air, they also fight fatigue, stress, dry throat and headache and moreover plants are able to help beat the summer heat and keep you cool. 

 Some come, cool yourself down and enjoy our fresh air in Toucheng Leisure Farm!