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Study of the sensitivity of a regional model in response to land cover change over northern China
Author(s) -
Wei Helin,
Fu Congbin
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1085(19981030)12:13/14<2249::aid-hyp733>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - environmental science , biosphere model , land cover , latent heat , sensible heat , climate model , water balance , precipitation , biosphere , water cycle , desertification , climate change , climatology , grassland , albedo (alchemy) , vegetation (pathology) , energy balance , atmospheric sciences , land use , geography , meteorology , geology , ecology , medicine , art , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , pathology , performance art , biology , art history
Changing land surface types may have important consequences for the climate system. Predicting even the local, immediate effects of changing land surface types on the local energy and water balance has been difficult, because the land surface parameterization schemes used previously in climate models have been inadequate and the resolution of GCMs (global circulation models) has been too coarse to describe mesoscale forcings such as vegetation gradient adequately and to yield accurate regional climate detail. Grassland is a major ecosystem in northern China, playing a crucial role in the surface energy and water budget. Inclusion of a biosphere and atmosphere transfer scheme (BATS) into the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) regional climate model (RegCM) permits an exploratory study of the possible effects of land cover change. Based on the observation of desertification processes in this area, an experiment with seven‐day integration was designed in which all of the grassland in northern China is replaced by desert. The results show that, with the conversion of grassland into the desert, the surface hydrological cycle over northern China is weakened, with less precipitation and, in particular, a reduction in evaporation; the surface heat budget also changes, especially with the reduction in latent heat flux being much more than the reduction of net radiation, which results in an increase in surface temperature. These results are relevant to changes of parameters in BATS owing to changing land surface. Some detailed patterns of the effects of changing land surface on local energy and water balance have been simulated. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.