A theory that forests draw moist air inland from the ocean, because water vapor condensing above the canopy lowers air pressure there. Proposed by Anastassia Makarieva and Victor Gorshkov in 2007.
Extended definition
Forests transpire large volumes of water vapor. On the biotic pump theory, the condensation of that vapor above the canopy reduces air pressure over the forest, and the pressure difference pulls moist air in from the ocean. The theory offers an explanation for why rainfall can stay high thousands of kilometers inland over continuous forest, and why it falls away where forest cover is broken.
Makarieva and Gorshkov set out the theory in 2007. Other atmospheric scientists dispute how large the effect is, and the theory remains under debate (Sheil and Murdiyarso 2009).
On this wiki the theory connects to the landscape water-cycle work of Michal Kravcik, and to rainfall enhancement through Bioprecipitation.
Related terms
Sources
- Makarieva, A. M. and Gorshkov, V. G. (2007). Biotic pump of atmospheric moisture as driver of the hydrological cycle on land. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11(2), 1013-1033.
- Sheil, D. and Murdiyarso, D. (2009). How forests attract rain: an examination of a new hypothesis. BioScience, 59(4), 341-347.
Provenance
Stub entry created 27 September 2026 in the Quartz Sanitation run, to give a page to links from the Michal Kravcik page that pointed at no page. Written from the published papers cited under Sources. First-pass entry: sections require enrichment from the underlying project documents.