Premium
The local and global effects of African deforestation
Author(s) -
Werth David,
Avissar Roni
Publication year - 2005
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 - 10.1029/2005gl022969
Subject(s) - deforestation (computer science) , precipitation , tropics , climatology , wet season , geopotential height , dry season , gcm transcription factors , environmental science , climate change , middle latitudes , geopotential , geography , general circulation model , geology , meteorology , ecology , oceanography , cartography , computer science , biology , programming language
Using a global climate model (GCM), we simulate the effects of the total deforestation of equatorial Africa, looking specifically at the local and remote precipitation changes caused by such a land‐use change. We observe a strong local effect, with a large reduction in African precipitation during the dry season, and little change during either of the two rainy seasons. The effects of African deforestation extend throughout the Tropics and also reach into the midlatitudes. The remote effect is caused by the African geopotential changes being spread beyond the deforested area by the large‐scale winds.