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An annual cycle of vegetation in a GCM. Part II: global impacts on climate and hydrology

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Abstract

The Met Office Hadley Centre Unified Model (HadAM3) with the tiled version of the Met Office Surface Exchange Scheme (MOSES2) land surface scheme is used to assess the impact of a comprehensive imposed vegetation annual cycle on global climate and hydrology. Two 25-year numerical experiments are completed: the first with structural vegetation characteristics (Leaf Area Index, LAI, canopy height, canopy water capacity, canopy heat capacity, albedo) held at annual mean values, the second with realistic seasonally varying vegetation characteristics. It is found that the seasonalities of latent heat flux and surface temperature are widely affected. The difference in latent heat flux between experiments is proportional to the difference in LAI. Summer growing season surface temperatures are between 1 and 4 K lower in the phenology experiment over a majority of grid points with a significant vegetation annual cycle. During winter, midlatitude surface temperatures are also cooler due to brighter surface albedo over low LAI surfaces whereas during the dry season in the tropics, characterized by dormant vegetation, surface temperatures are slightly warmer due to reduced transpiration. Precipitation is not as systematically affected as surface temperature by a vegetation annual cycle, but enhanced growing season precipitation rates are seen in regions where the latent heat flux (evaporation) difference is large. Differences between experiments in evapotranspiration, soil moisture storage, the timing of soil thaw, and canopy interception generate regional perturbations to surface and sub-surface runoff annual cycles in the model.

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Acknowledgements.

This work was supported through the EU PROMISE project (EVK2-CT-1999-00022). The LAI data was provided as part of the ISLSCP II initiative through NASA Goddard DAAC (Hall, F.G., B. Meeson, S. Los, L. Steyaert, E. Brown de Colstoun, D. Landis, eds. ISLSCP Initiative II. NASA. DVD/CD-ROM. NASA, 2003). We thank Dr. P. Cox, Dr. R. Betts, Dr. C. Taylor and T. Osborne for valuable discussions regarding this work. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which improved the quality of the study.

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  1. CGAM, PO Box 243, Earley Gate, University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6BB, UK

    D. M. Lawrence & J. M. Slingo

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  1. D. M. Lawrence
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  2. J. M. Slingo
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Correspondence to D. M. Lawrence.

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Lawrence, D.M., Slingo, J.M. An annual cycle of vegetation in a GCM. Part II: global impacts on climate and hydrology. Climate Dynamics 22, 107–122 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-003-0367-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-003-0367-8

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