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Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Climate and Air Quality in the CESM

Presentation Date
Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 8:30am - Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 8:45am
Location
Moscone West - 3008
Authors

Author

Abstract

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) impacts climate by directly emiting CO2 as well as modifying indirect CO2 sinks in the future. LULCC also modifies aerosol and reactive gas emissions, modifying ozone and methane lifetimes, as well as directly emitting methane and nitrous oxide. Finally, LULCC modifies land albedos. Here we consider multiple land use scenarios within the context of the CESM, and the net impact of LULCC on climate and compare to other anthropogenic forcings. These comparisons suggest that LULCC contributes 40% to climate change today, and out to 2100. The contribution from LULCC varies strongly by country and when the land use conversion occurs.

Category
Atmospheric Sciences
Funding Program Area(s)