Simulation of Effects of Land Use Change on Climate in China by a Regional Climate Model

• Published in: Advances in atmospheric sciences Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 583 - 592
• Main Author: 高学杰 罗勇 林万涛 赵宗慈 FilippoGIORGI
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Nature B.V 01.07.2003
• Subjects: Air temperature; Annual precipitation; Aridity; Climate; Climate and land use; Climate change; Climate effects; Climate models; Coastal zone; Coupled modes; Daily; Daily temperatures; Environmental conditions; Land use; Maximum temperatures; Mean annual precipitation; Minimum temperatures; Modelling; Moisture effects; Ocean models; Ocean-atmosphere interaction; Plant cover; Precipitation; Regional climate models; Regional climates; Semi arid areas; Simulation; Soil moisture; Statistical analysis; Surface-air temperature relationships; Temperature; Temperature rise; Vegetation; Vegetation cover; 区域气候变化; 区域气候模式; 土地利用; 地理环境; 数值模拟试验; China
• ISSN: 0256-1530; 1861-9533
• DOI: 10.1007/bf02915501

Climate effects of land use change in China as simulated by a regional climate model (RegCM2)are investigated. The model is nested in one-way mode within a global coupled atmosphere-ocean model(CSIRO R21L9 AOGCM). Two multi-year simulations, one with current land use and the other with potential vegetation cover, are conducted. Statistically significant changes of precipitation, surface air temperature, and daily maximum and daily minimum temperature are analyzed based on the difference between the two simulations. The simulated effects of land use change over China include a decrease of mean annual precipitation over Northwest China, a region with a prevalence of arid and semi-arid areas;an increase of mean annual surfaoe air temperature over some areas; and a decrease of temperature along coastal areas. Summer mean daily maximum temperature increases in many locations, while winter mean daily minimum temperature decreases in East China and increases in Northwest China. The upper soil moisture decreases significantly across China. The results indicate that the same land use change may cause different climate effects in different regions depending on the surrounding environment and climate characteristics.