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Affiliation: ESSIC/UMD - Biospheric Sciences Branch, Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics
Event Date: Monday, August 16, 2004
Location: GSFC, Building 33, Room A128
Time: 2:00 PM
Combining Satellite Data and Models to Study the Water and Energy Cycles
This presentation summarizes findings from 2 series of climate simulations that show the importance of vegetation activity on the water, energy and carbon cycles and the impact of change in vegetation density on climate. The radiative and physiological effects of increased atmospheric CO2 concentration on climate components are investigated using a global coupled land-surface-atmosphere model driven by satellite derived biophysical parameters. The photosynthesis response to increased CO2 concentration that have potential consequences for climate result mainly from the dependence of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance on CO2 partial pressure. Non linear interactions between vegetation and the water and energy components will be discussed. The impact of changing vegetation on the climate hydrological and energetic cycles is addressed through a natural decadal variability in biophysical fields derived from satellite records spanning the period 1982-1990. Results suggest that increase in vegetation density could partially compensate for the increases in greenhouse warming.
Posted or updated: Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Editor: Paul Przyborski
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