Short-term climatic impacts of afforestation in the East Asian monsoon region

Abstract

The influence of changes in vegetation cover on short-term climate over the East Asian monsoon region is simulated using the Community Climate System Model Version 3.5. The results show the annual mean surface air temperature significantly decreases by 0.93°C in response to afforestation over the East Asian monsoon region. Also, surface air temperature decreases by 1.46 and 0.40°C in summer and winter, respectively. The cooling is caused by enhanced evapotranspiration (ET) produced by increased forest cover. Evapotranspiration is greater in summer than in winter, so summer cooling is greater than winter cooling. The annual mean precipitation increases in response to afforestation, with a maximum of 7% in April. Water vapor increases significantly because of greater latent heat flux release. Meanwhile, afforestation leads to higher surface roughness, which decreases surface wind speed and induces an ascending air motion. These factors can produce more clouds and precipitation. Moreover, the surface albedo and the reflective solar radiation are reduced in response to afforestation.East Asian monsoon region, energy budget, forest cover, hydrological cycle, vegetation cover change

Assessing the Effects of Land Cover Land Use Change on Precipitation Dynamics in Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area from 2001 to 2019

“…Large-scale afforestation in the pan-tropical and western European regions would increase precipitation [27,28]. In East Asia, Madi et al used the CCSM (Community Climate System Model) to study and find that with the increasing of forest coverage in east Asian monsoon areas, the annual average precipitation increased, and the precipitation in April increased the most significantly, reaching 7% [29]. Precipitation and the variations of land cover land use type considered the influence of each other, and most of the simulations showed that the farmland and pasture expanded at the expense of the trees and shrubs, and precipitation and surface temperature rise in the resulting Sahel region fell [30].…”

Quantitative analysis of the impacts of terrestrial environmental factors on precipitation variation over the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone in Coastal Southwest China

“…The Shiwan Dashan National Forest Park and the Daming Mountain National Natural Reserve are located in this research area. Some research has already highlighted that the significant role of precipitation may increase or decrease alongside afforestation 4 5 6 or deforestation.…”

“…This, in turn, changes local precipitation through atmospheric circulation on a small to medium scale. Previous research showed that precipitation can increase456 with the growth of forest coverage. Different vegetation types also have distinct impacts on the surrounding climate7.…”