those with almost none. This greatly disrupts weather patterns, with
an increase in violent storms, hurricanes and serious flooding near
coasts, while the areas away from coastal winds suffer droughts and
freezing night temperatures.The half hydrological cycle
Without forest cover, the ground surface overheats, causing a nega-
tive temperature gradient in the soil. This means that the cooler rain
cannot penetrate into the warmer ground, and fast surface runoff in
areas of heavy rainfall causes catastrophic floods. The cause of the
floods in recent years, in Columbia, Mozambique, Assam and
Bangladesh was the deforestation on high ground.
This disruption of the natural water cycle Schauberger called
the half hydrological cycle, which is now prevalent almost world-
wide. Notice the difference between Fig. 9.2 below and Fig. 9.1 on
p. 118. The drawing below shows that, in the absence of tree cover,
the water table has sunk. Once the forest has been removed, the
exposed ground heats up rapidly, all the more so if dry, and to
much higher temperatures.
This type of evaporation, now lacking the evapo-transpiration
from living things, has more destructive energies. If the rainfall is
excessive, then flooding inevitably occurs. In many hot countries
denuded of vegetation, dry valleys and creeks can be suddenly
engulfed by a wall of water as terrifying flash-floods sweep away
everything in their path.
In the absence of trees and ground cover to absorb it, the rainwa-
ter spreads widely over the surface of the ground, resulting in massive
abnormal re-evaporation. The increase in water vapour in the atmos-
phere soon causes increased precipitation. What happens is that one
flood causes another, while in inland areas, droughts become more
frequent. The only answer to this vicious cycle is a massive interna-
tional campaign to plant trees, particularly in the warmer latitudes.
The most serious result of the half cycle is that there is no replen-
ishment of the groundwater. With the sinking of the groundwater
level, the supply of nutrients to the vegetation is cut off. The water
that is evaporated into the atmosphere is virtually lifeless, lacking in
the energy and the qualities that groundwater acquires. Viktor
Schauberger called this a 'biological short-circuit.' The essential soil
moisture, trace elements and other nutrients that the tree roots nor-
HIDDEN NATURE