Modelling impacts of vegetation cover change on regional climate
Project report
Title | Modelling impacts of vegetation cover change on regional climate |
---|---|
Report Type | Project report |
Authors | McAlpine, Clive A. (Author), Syktus, Jozef I. (Author), Deo, Ravinesh C. (Author), Lawrence, Peter J. (Author), McGowan, Hamish A. (Author), Watterson, Ian G. (Author) and Phinn, Stuart R. (Author) |
Institution of Origin | University of Queensland |
Number of Pages | 14 |
Year | 2009 |
Publisher | Land and Water Australia |
Place of Publication | Canberra, Australia |
Web Address (URL) | http://www.omc.uq.edu.au/news/documents/ModellingImpactsVegetationCover.pdf |
Abstract | Extensive areas of native vegetation in Queensland and other states have been cleared for agriculture, improved pastures and urban development. However, the potential impact of land clearing on Australia’s climate has been largely ignored in current climate change projections and policies. In this study, we addressed the question - is Australia’s regional climate sensitive to land cover We conducted simulation experiments using the CSIRO MARK 3 climate model to compare the effects on regional climate based on differences between pre-European and 1990 vegetation cover. The two experiments aimed to reproduce the Australian climate for the period 1951-2003, with the only difference being the conversion of land cover from native vegetation to pastures and crops. Consistent with actual climate trends since the 1950s, simulated annual and seasonal surface temperatures showed statistically significant warming for eastern Australia (0.4-2°C) and southwest Western Australia (0.4-0.8°C), being most pronounced in summer. Mean summer rainfall showed a decrease of 4-12% in eastern Australia and 4-8% in southwest The findings suggest that the large scale clearance of native vegetation is amplifying the adverse impacts associated with El Niño drought periods, which together with rainfall deficiency, is having a strong impact on Australia’s already stressed natural resources and agriculture. Implications for Policy: We suggest that policy needs to recognise that climate change is a two-way process, and that broad scale clearing of native vegetation cover has a strong influence on climate in |
Keywords | modelling impacts; vegetation cover change; regional climate |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 370201. Climate change processes |
370105. Atmospheric dynamics | |
Public Notes | Project Report: Funded by Land & Water Australia. |
Byline Affiliations | University of Queensland |
Department of Environment and Resource Management, Queensland | |
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, United States | |
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q1vzq/modelling-impacts-of-vegetation-cover-change-on-regional-climate
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