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Impacts of land use on climate and ecosystem productivity over the Amazon and the South American continent

Wu, Minchao LU orcid ; Schurgers, Guy LU ; Ahlström, Anders LU orcid ; Rummukainen, Markku LU ; Miller, Paul LU ; Smith, Benjamin LU and May, Wilhelm LU orcid (2017) In Environmental Research Letters 12(5).
Abstract
The Amazon basin is characterized by a strong interplay between the atmosphere and vegetation. Anthropogenic land use and land cover change (LULCC) affects vegetation and the exchange of energy and water with the atmosphere. Here we have assessed potential LULCC impacts on climate and natural vegetation dynamics over South America with a regional Earth system model that also accounts for vegetation dynamics. The biophysical and biogeochemical impacts from LULCC were addressed with two simulations over the CORDEX-South America domain. The results show that LULCC imposes local and remote influences on South American climate. These include significant local warming over the LULCC-affected area, changes in circulation patterns over the Amazon... (More)
The Amazon basin is characterized by a strong interplay between the atmosphere and vegetation. Anthropogenic land use and land cover change (LULCC) affects vegetation and the exchange of energy and water with the atmosphere. Here we have assessed potential LULCC impacts on climate and natural vegetation dynamics over South America with a regional Earth system model that also accounts for vegetation dynamics. The biophysical and biogeochemical impacts from LULCC were addressed with two simulations over the CORDEX-South America domain. The results show that LULCC imposes local and remote influences on South American climate. These include significant local warming over the LULCC-affected area, changes in circulation patterns over the Amazon basin during the dry season, and an intensified hydrological cycle over much of the LULCC-affected area during the wet season. These changes affect the natural vegetation productivity which shows contrasting and significant changes between northwestern (around 10% increase) and southeastern (up to 10% decrease) parts of the Amazon basin caused by mesoscale circulation changes during the dry season, and increased productivity in parts of the LULCC-affected areas. We conclude that ongoing deforestation around the fringes of the Amazon could impact pristine forest by changing mesoscale circulation patterns, amplifying the degradation of natural vegetation caused by direct, local impacts of land use activities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Environmental Research Letters
volume
12
issue
5
article number
54016
pages
10 pages
publisher
IOP Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:85019613890
  • wos:000401529200001
ISSN
1748-9326
DOI
10.1088/1748-9326/aa6fd6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
618439e8-e1a7-4280-abfb-c4bf3620e22b
date added to LUP
2017-05-18 10:37:04
date last changed
2024-06-23 17:33:41
@article{618439e8-e1a7-4280-abfb-c4bf3620e22b,
  abstract     = {{The Amazon basin is characterized by a strong interplay between the atmosphere and vegetation. Anthropogenic land use and land cover change (LULCC) affects vegetation and the exchange of energy and water with the atmosphere. Here we have assessed potential LULCC impacts on climate and natural vegetation dynamics over South America with a regional Earth system model that also accounts for vegetation dynamics. The biophysical and biogeochemical impacts from LULCC were addressed with two simulations over the CORDEX-South America domain. The results show that LULCC imposes local and remote influences on South American climate. These include significant local warming over the LULCC-affected area, changes in circulation patterns over the Amazon basin during the dry season, and an intensified hydrological cycle over much of the LULCC-affected area during the wet season. These changes affect the natural vegetation productivity which shows contrasting and significant changes between northwestern (around 10% increase) and southeastern (up to 10% decrease) parts of the Amazon basin caused by mesoscale circulation changes during the dry season, and increased productivity in parts of the LULCC-affected areas. We conclude that ongoing deforestation around the fringes of the Amazon could impact pristine forest by changing mesoscale circulation patterns, amplifying the degradation of natural vegetation caused by direct, local impacts of land use activities.}},
  author       = {{Wu, Minchao and Schurgers, Guy and Ahlström, Anders and Rummukainen, Markku and Miller, Paul and Smith, Benjamin and May, Wilhelm}},
  issn         = {{1748-9326}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{5}},
  publisher    = {{IOP Publishing}},
  series       = {{Environmental Research Letters}},
  title        = {{Impacts of land use on climate and ecosystem productivity over the Amazon and the South American continent}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa6fd6}},
  doi          = {{10.1088/1748-9326/aa6fd6}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}