Albedo-Induced Global Warming Impact at Multiple Temporal Scales within an Upper Midwest USA Watershed

Pietro Sciusco, Jiquan Chen, Vincenzo Giannico, Michael Abraha, Cheyenne Lei, Gabriela Shirkey, Jing Yuan and G. Philip Robertson
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Pietro Sciusco: Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Jiquan Chen: Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Vincenzo Giannico: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari A. Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Michael Abraha: Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Cheyenne Lei: Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Gabriela Shirkey: Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Jing Yuan: Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
G. Philip Robertson: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: Land surface albedo is a significant regulator of climate. Changes in land use worldwide have greatly reshaped landscapes in the recent decades. Deforestation, agricultural development, and urban expansion alter land surface albedo, each with unique influences on shortwave radiative forcing and global warming impact (GWI). Here, we characterize the changes in landscape albedo-induced GWI (GWI Δα ) at multiple temporal scales, with a special focus on the seasonal and monthly GWI Δα over a 19-year period for different land cover types in five ecoregions within a watershed in the upper Midwest USA. The results show that land cover changes from the original forest exhibited a net cooling effect, with contributions of annual GWI Δα varying by cover type and ecoregion. Seasonal and monthly variations of the GWI Δα showed unique trends over the 19-year period and contributed differently to the total GWI Δα . Cropland contributed most to cooling the local climate, with seasonal and monthly offsets of 18% and 83%, respectively, of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of maize fields in the same area. Urban areas exhibited both cooling and warming effects. Cropland and urban areas showed significantly different seasonal GWI Δα at some ecoregions. The landscape composition of the five ecoregions could cause different net landscape GWI Δα .

Keywords: albedo; global warming impact (GWI); radiative forcing (RF); forest; land conversion; climate regulation; cooling effect; warming effect; landscape composition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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