Biophysical impacts of earth greening can substantially mitigate regional land surface temperature warming

Yitao Li, Zhao-Liang Li (), Hua Wu, Chenghu Zhou, Xiangyang Liu, Pei Leng, Peng Yang, Wenbin Wu, Ronglin Tang, Guo-Fei Shang and Lingling Ma
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Yitao Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhao-Liang Li: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Hua Wu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chenghu Zhou: Guangdong Academy of Sciences
Xiangyang Liu: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Pei Leng: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Peng Yang: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Wenbin Wu: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Ronglin Tang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guo-Fei Shang: Hebei GEO University
Lingling Ma: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Vegetation change can alter surface energy balance and subsequently affect the local climate. This biophysical impact has been well studied for forestation cases, but the sign and magnitude for persistent earth greening remain controversial. Based on long-term remote sensing observations, we quantify the unidirectional impact of vegetation greening on radiometric surface temperature over 2001–2018. Here, we show a global negative temperature response with large spatial and seasonal variability. Snow cover, vegetation greenness, and shortwave radiation are the major driving factors of the temperature sensitivity by regulating the relative dominance of radiative and non-radiative processes. Combined with the observed greening trend, we find a global cooling of −0.018 K/decade, which slows down 4.6 ± 3.2% of the global warming. Regionally, this cooling effect can offset 39.4 ± 13.9% and 19.0 ± 8.2% of the corresponding warming in India and China. These results highlight the necessity of considering this vegetation-related biophysical climate effect when informing local climate adaptation strategies.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35799-4

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