Bonan 2008 Forests Climate PDF
Bonan 2008 Forests Climate PDF
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Forests in Flux
serving as a control to compare against another
REVIEW simulation with altered vegetation, demonstrate
an ecological influence on climate.
100 Deciduous
2000
Area (million km2)
0 0 0
Nonforest Forest Tropical Temperate Boreal Nonforest Forest Tropical Temperate Boreal Tropical Temperate Boreal
forest forest forest forest forest forest forest forest forest
D Albedo E Evapotranspiration
0.6 2.00
Normalized latent heat flux
0.5 Snow-free
Snow-covered 1.50
0.4
Albedo
Wheat
0.3 1.00 Corn
0.2 Deciduous forest
0.50
Jack pine
0.1 Oak savanna
0.0 0.00
Nonforest Forest 10 100 1000 10000
N ver
N ci
Br ci
M
ee g
ee du
ixe
e
de
de
oa du
dl ree
dl ou
d
dl u
el s
ea s
ea
ea
o
f
f
Fig. 1. Biogeochemical (carbon) and biogeophysical (albedo and evapo- three types of boreal forest. Vertical bars show NEP averaged across forest
transpiration) processes by which terrestrial ecosystems affect climate (SOM). types. (D) Satellite-derived direct-beam albedo for snow-covered and snow-
(A and B) Geographic extent and total (plant and soil) carbon stock of free nonforest (green) and forest (blue) biomes (48). Also shown are individual
nonforest (green) and forest (blue) biomes (2). Individual forest biomes are forest biomes. (E) Evapotranspiration normalized by its equilibrium rate in
also shown and sum to the forest total. (C) Net ecosystem production (NEP) for relation to canopy resistance for wheat, corn, temperate deciduous forest,
tropical, temperate, and boreal forest (47). Individual symbols shown mean boreal jack pine conifer forest, and oak savanna (49, 50). Shown are individual
NEP for humid evergreen tropical forest, three types of temperate forest, and data points and the mean for each vegetation type.
Diffuse solar
radiation Interception Evaporation
Photosynthesis Autotrophic
respiration
Longwave
Momentum flux
radiation
wind speed
0 ua
Direct
solar
radiation Transpiration
ra
Latent heat flux
radiation
Reflected
solar Foliage
radiation Absorbed
solar
radiation
ra
rs
Depth
Depth
Nutrient
uptake Mineralization
Drainage
F D E
Competition
Disturbance
Deforestation
Vegetation
dynamics
Land
Urbanization use
Farm abandonment
Growth Establishment
Fig. 2. The current generation of climate models treats the biosphere and are the core biogeophysical processes. Many models also include (C) the
atmosphere as a coupled system. Land surface parameterizations represent carbon cycle and (D) vegetation dynamics so that plant ecosystems respond to
the biogeophysics, biogeochemistry, and biogeography of terrestrial climate change. Some models also include (E) land use and (F) urbanization to
ecosystems. (A) Surface energy fluxes and (B) the hydrologic cycle. These represent human alteration of the biosphere.
site dominated by grasses and a 15-year-old Boreal ecosystems store a large amount of albedo and the radiative forcing from greenhouse
aspen (Populus tremuloides) forest compared carbon in soil, permafrost, and wetland (2) and gases emitted during combustion. Averaged over
with an 80-year-old black spruce (Picea mariana) contribute to the Northern Hemisphere terrestrial an 80-year fire cycle, the negative forcing from
forest, primarily in spring and summer. Annual carbon sink (3), although mature forests have low surface albedo exceeds the smaller positive bio-
sensible heat flux decreased by more than 50% annual carbon gain (Fig. 1C). The climate forcing geochemical forcing. Yet in the first year after
compared with the 80-year site, mostly in spring from increased albedo may offset the forcing fire, positive annual biogeochemical forcing from
CREDIT: CARIN CAIN
and summer. During summer, the aspen forest from carbon emission so that boreal deforestation greenhouse gas emission, ozone, black carbon
had the highest latent heat flux, lowest sensible cools climate (8). Similar conclusions are drawn deposited on snow and ice, and aerosols exceeds
heat flux, and lowest midday Bowen ratio from comprehensive analysis of the climate forc- the negative albedo forcing.
(defined as the ratio of sensible heat flux to ing of boreal fires (25). The long-term forcing is a Boreal forests are vulnerable to global warming
latent heat flux). balance between postfire increase in surface (5). Trees may expand into tundra, but die back
Moderate
evaporative
cooling (−)
Strong Moderate
carbon albedo Weak
decrease (+) evaporative Strong
storage (−)
cooling (−) albedo
Strong Moderate decrease (+)
Strong evaporative carbon
carbon cooling (−) storage (−)
Moderate
storage (−)
albedo
decrease (+)
Tropical forest
Temperate forest
Natural Boreal forest
vegetation Savanna
Grassland/Shrubland
Tundra
Semi-desert/Desert/Ice
0-10%
10-20%
20-30%
30-40%
40-50%
Croplands 50-60%
60-70%
70-80%
80-90%
90-100%
Fig. 3. Climate services in (A) tropical, (B) temperate, and (C) boreal forests. Text boxes indicate key processes with uncertain climate services. (D) Natural vegetation
biogeography in the absence of human uses of land and cropland (percent cover) during the 1990s. Vegetation maps are from (51).
zonia, but cooling that mitigates warming in mid- of temperate forest regrowth. In the A2 and B1 en climate change arising from anthropogenic
latitudes (39). The B1 narrative storyline is a low storylines, net carbon loss from deforestation causes greenhouse gas emission. Negative climate forcing
greenhouse gas emission scenario. Farm abandon- biogeochemical warming, greatest in A2 because of in tropical forests from high rates of carbon accu-
ment and reforestation yield loss of farmland by extensive deforestation and weaker in B1 because mulation augments strong evaporative cooling (Fig.
2100 because of assumed increases in agricultural of temperate reforestation and less tropical de- 3A). The combined carbon cycle and biogeophys-
efficiency and declining population (fig. S1). The forestation. Biogeochemical warming offsets bio- ical effect of tropical forests may cool global cli-
model simulates 1°C warming in the absence of geophysical cooling in A2 to provide net global mate, but their resilience to drought, their status as
land cover change and weaker land-use forcing. warming. The B1 net warming is similar to A2 carbon sinks, interactions of fires, aerosols, and
When the carbon cycle is included, the dif- because moderate biogeophysical warming from reactive gases with climate, and the effects of small-
ferent SRES storylines of fossil fuel emission and temperate reforestation augments weak biogeo- scale deforestation on clouds and precipitation are
CREDIT: CARIN CAIN
land use may yield similar 21st-century climates chemical warming from tropical deforestation. key unknowns. The climate forcing of boreal forests
despite vastly different socioeconomic trajectories is less certain (Fig. 3C). Low surface albedo may
(9). Widespread expansion of agriculture in A2 Research Needs outweigh carbon sequestration so that boreal forests
leads to biogeophysical cooling. Biogeophysical Through albedo, evapotranspiration, the carbon cy- warm global climate, but the net forcing from fire
processes lead to warming in B1, primarily because cle, and other processes, forests can amplify or damp- must also be considered, as well as effects of dis-