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Biogeophysical versus biogeochemical feedbacks of large‐scale land cover change
Author(s) -
Claussen Martin,
Brovkin Victor,
Ganopolski Andrey
Publication year - 2001
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 - 10.1029/2000gl012471
Subject(s) - biogeochemical cycle , environmental science , albedo (alchemy) , biosphere , deforestation (computer science) , atmospheric sciences , biome , climatology , climate change , climate model , snow , ecosystem , geology , meteorology , oceanography , ecology , geography , art , performance art , computer science , programming language , art history , biology
Large‐scale changes in land cover affect near‐surface energy, moisture and momentum fluxes owing to changes in surface structure (referred to as biogeophysical effects) and the atmospheric CO 2 concentration owing to changes in biomass (biogeochemical effects). Here we quantify the relative magnitude of these processes as well as their synergisms by using a coupled atmosphere‐biosphere‐ocean model of intermediate complexity. Our sensitivity studies show that tropical deforestation tends to warm the planet because the increase in atmospheric CO 2 and hence, atmospheric radiation, outweighs the biogeophysical effects. In mid and high northern latitudes, however, biogeophysical processes, mainly the snow‐vegetation‐albedo feedback through its synergism with the sea‐ice‐albedo feedback, win over biogeochemical processes, thereby eventually leading to a global cooling in the case of deforestation and to a global warming, in the case of afforestation.