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Dynamic Vegetation Simulations of the Mid‐Holocene Green Sahara
Author(s) -
Lu Zhengyao,
Miller Paul A.,
Zhang Qiong,
Zhang Qiang,
Wårlind David,
Nieradzik Lars,
Sjolte Jesper,
Smith Benjamin
Publication year - 2018
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 - 10.1029/2018gl079195
Subject(s) - vegetation (pathology) , holocene , environmental science , precipitation , wetland , physical geography , geology , climatology , atmospheric sciences , ecology , geography , oceanography , meteorology , medicine , pathology , biology
The “Green Sahara” is a period when North Africa was characterized by vegetation cover and wetlands. To qualitatively identify the orbital‐climatic causation of the Green Sahara regime, we performed dynamic vegetation model (LPJ‐GUESS) simulations, driven by climate forcings from coupled general circulation model (EC‐Earth) simulations for the mid‐Holocene, in which the vegetation is prescribed to be either modern desert or artificially vegetated with a reduced dust load. LPJ‐GUESS simulates a vegetated Sahara covered by both herbaceous and woody vegetation types consistent with proxy reconstructions only in the latter scenario. Sensitivity experiments identify interactions required to capture the northward extension of vegetation. Increased precipitation is the main driver of the vegetation extent changes, and the temperature anomalies determine the plant functional types mainly through altered fire disturbance. Furthermore, the simulated vegetation composition also depends on the correct representation of soil texture in a humid environment like Green Sahara.