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Potential high‐latitude vegetation feedbacks on CO 2 ‐induced climate change
Author(s) -
Levis S.,
Foley J. A.,
Pollard D.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1999gl900107
Subject(s) - vegetation (pathology) , albedo (alchemy) , environmental science , climatology , climate change , latitude , global warming , climate model , atmospheric sciences , greenhouse gas , spring (device) , geology , oceanography , art , mechanical engineering , performance art , engineering , art history , medicine , geodesy , pathology
We use a fully coupled climate‐vegetation model to examine the potential effects of changes in vegetation cover on simulations of CO 2 ‐induced climate change. We find that vegetation feedbacks, acting mainly through changes in surface albedo, enhance greenhouse warming in the northern high latitudes during spring and summer months. In spring and summer, land surfaces north of 45°N are warmed by 3.3 and 1.7°C by a doubling of CO 2 alone; vegetation feedbacks produce an additional warming of between 1.1–1.6 and 0.4–0.5°C, respectively. In winter, however, vegetation feedbacks appear to oppose the 5.6°C radiative warming, particularly over Eurasia. These results demonstrate that vegetation feedbacks are potentially significant and must be included in assessments of anthropogenic climate change.