Deforestation intensifies daily temperature variability in the northern extratropics

Jun Ge (), Qi Liu, Beilei Zan, Zhiqiang Lin, Sha Lu, Bo Qiu and Weidong Guo ()
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Jun Ge: Nanjing University
Qi Liu: Nanjing University
Beilei Zan: Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
Zhiqiang Lin: Chengdu University of Information Technology
Sha Lu: Nanjing University
Bo Qiu: Nanjing University
Weidong Guo: Nanjing University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract While the biogeophysical effects of deforestation on average and extreme temperatures are broadly documented, how deforestation influences temperature variability remains largely unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigate the biogeophysical effects of idealized deforestation on daily temperature variability at the global scale based on multiple earth system models and in situ observations. Here, we show that deforestation can intensify daily temperature variability (by up to 20%) in the northern extratropics, particularly in winter, leading to more frequent rapid extreme warming and cooling events. The higher temperature variability can be attributed to the enhanced near-surface horizontal temperature advection and simultaneously is partly offset by the lower variability in surface sensible heat flux. We also show responses of daily temperature variability to historical deforestation and future potential afforestation. This study reveals the overlooked effects of deforestation or afforestation on temperature variability and has implications for large-scale afforestation in northern extratropic countries.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33622-0

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