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Simulated impacts of afforestation in East China monsoon region as modulated by ocean variability

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Abstract

Using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model Version 3.5, this paper examines the climatic effects of afforestation in the East China monsoon region with a focus on land–atmosphere interactions and the modulating influence of ocean variability. In response to afforestation, the local surface air temperature significantly decreases in summer and increases in winter. The summer cooling is attributed to enhanced evapotranspiration from increased tree cover. During winter, afforestation induces greater roughness and weaker winds over the adjacent coastal ocean, leading to diminished latent heat flux and increased sea-surface temperature (SST). The enhanced SST supports greater atmospheric water vapor, which is accompanied by anomalous wind, and transported into the East China monsoon region. The increase in atmospheric water vapor favors more cloud cover and precipitation, especially in the eastern afforestation region. Furthermore, the increase in atmospheric water vapor and cloud cover produce a greenhouse effect, raising the wintertime surface air temperature. By comparing simulations in which ocean temperature are either fixed or variable, we demonstrate that a significant hydrologic response in East China to afforestation only occurs if ocean temperatures are allowed to vary and the oceanic source of moisture to the continent is enhanced.

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Acknowledgments

The USDA Forest Service, NSF, 2012CB955200, GYHY200906016, 2010CB950503 and China Scholarship Council funded this work. The simulations were made using NERSC computer resources. The authors thank Dr. Robert Gallimore, Bjorn Brooks, Fuyao Wang and Xinyao Rong for discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Land Surface Process and Climate Change in Cold and Arid Regions, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, China

    Di Ma

  2. Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Center for Climatic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1225 West Dayton St., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Di Ma, Michael Notaro & Guangshan Chen

  3. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China

    Di Ma

  4. Labarotory for Climate, Ocean and Atmosphere Studies, Perking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Zhengyu Liu

  5. Center for Forest Disturbance Science, USDA Forest Service, Athens, GA, USA

    Yongqiang Liu

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  1. Di Ma
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  2. Michael Notaro
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  3. Zhengyu Liu
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  4. Guangshan Chen
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  5. Yongqiang Liu
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Correspondence to Di Ma.

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Ma, D., Notaro, M., Liu, Z. et al. Simulated impacts of afforestation in East China monsoon region as modulated by ocean variability. Clim Dyn 41, 2439–2450 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1592-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1592-9

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