Influence of Land Use Change on the Surface Albedo and Climate Change in the Qinling-Daba Mountains

Fang Zhao, Xincan Lan, Wuyang Li, Wenbo Zhu and Tianqi Li
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Fang Zhao: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Xincan Lan: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Wuyang Li: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Wenbo Zhu: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Tianqi Li: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: Land use changes affect the surface radiative budget and energy balance by changing the surface albedo, which generates radiative forcing, impacting the regional and global climate. To estimate the effect of land use changes on the surface albedo and climate change in a mountainous area with complex terrain, we obtained MODIS data, identified the spatial–temporal characteristics of the surface albedo caused by land use changes, and then calculated the radiative forcing based on solar radiative data and the surface albedo in the Qinling-Daba mountains from 2000 to 2015. The correlation between the land use changes and the radiative forcing was analyzed to explore the climate effects caused by land use changes on a kilometer-grid scale in the Qinling-Daba mountains. Our results show that the primarily land use changes were a decrease in the cultivated land area and an increase in the construction land area, as well as other conversions between six land use types from 2000 to 2015. The land use changes led to significant changes in the surface albedo. Meanwhile, the radiative forcing caused by the land use had different magnitudes, strengths, and occurrence ranges, resulting in both warming and cooling climate change effects.

Keywords: land use changes; surface albedo; radiative forcing; Qinling-Daba mountains (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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