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Grassland greening impacts on global land surface temperature
Xiangjin Shen1, Yiwen Liu2, Liyuan Wu2
1Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China.
The Science of the Total Environment
|May 13, 2022
Summary
Global grassland greening cools surface temperatures, especially daytime, but effects vary by latitude. Increased vegetation enhances evapotranspiration (ET) in some regions and decreases albedo in others, influencing climate dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Climate Science
- Ecology
- Remote Sensing
Background:
- Global grasslands are greening, potentially impacting climate through changes in albedo and evapotranspiration (ET).
- Long-term field data on grassland greening's climate effects are scarce, leaving a knowledge gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the biogeophysical effects of global grassland greening on land surface temperatures (LST).
- To analyze how these effects vary spatially with latitude and season.
Main Methods:
- Utilized satellite measurements of LST from high and low vegetation coverage grasslands (differentiated by leaf area index).
- Analyzed global data from 2003 to 2017 to assess changes in annual mean LST, daytime LST (LSTD), and nighttime LST (LSTN).
Main Results:
- Grassland greening globally decreased annual mean LST and LSTD, with no significant change in LSTN.
- Significant cooling effects were observed south of 50°N (due to increased ET), while warming occurred north of 50°N (due to decreased albedo).
- Seasonal and latitudinal variations were evident, with distinct impacts during summer (JJA) and winter (DJF) months across different hemispheres.
Conclusions:
- Grassland greening has a latitude-dependent impact on surface temperatures.
- Increased vegetation coverage influences regional climate through complex interactions with albedo and evapotranspiration.
- Incorporating grassland dynamics into climate models is crucial for accurate regional temperature predictions and future climate forecasting.
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