Dynamic Vegetation Simulations of the Mid-Holocene Green Sahara
(2018) In Geophysical Research Letters 45(16). p.8294-8303- Abstract
- 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.... (More)
- 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. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/768d7937-9f94-4347-b3a8-046f7b65be81
- author
- Zhengyao, Lu LU ; Miller, Paul LU ; Zhang, Qiong ; Zhang, Qiang ; Wårlind, David LU ; Nieradzik, Lars LU ; Sjolte, Jesper LU and Smith, Benjamin LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2018-08-20
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Geophysical Research Letters
- volume
- 45
- issue
- 16
- pages
- 8294 - 8303
- publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85053214229
- ISSN
- 1944-8007
- DOI
- 10.1029/2018GL079195
- project
- Simulera gröna Sahara med en jordsystemmodell
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 768d7937-9f94-4347-b3a8-046f7b65be81
- date added to LUP
- 2018-09-13 12:10:11
- date last changed
- 2023-10-06 10:13:41
@article{768d7937-9f94-4347-b3a8-046f7b65be81, abstract = {{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.}}, author = {{Zhengyao, Lu and Miller, Paul and Zhang, Qiong and Zhang, Qiang and Wårlind, David and Nieradzik, Lars and Sjolte, Jesper and Smith, Benjamin}}, issn = {{1944-8007}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{08}}, number = {{16}}, pages = {{8294--8303}}, publisher = {{American Geophysical Union (AGU)}}, series = {{Geophysical Research Letters}}, title = {{Dynamic Vegetation Simulations of the Mid-Holocene Green Sahara}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079195}}, doi = {{10.1029/2018GL079195}}, volume = {{45}}, year = {{2018}}, }