Biophysical effects of LULCC in a changing climate

The properties of the type of surface covering the land have a direct effect on their surrounding atmosphere due to biophysical mechanisms. When the land cover type is altered, or when its properties change due to land use management, there can be a repercussion on the climate that goes beyond the associated changes in greenhouse gases. Satellite remote sensing observations have recently been instrumental to quantify and map these biophysical effects across geographical and seasonal gradients. The typical variable that is measured is temperature, as it integrates the combined effects of changes in surface albedo, soil moisture and vegetation state. Up-to-now, studies have generally focused on analyzing the mean response of land use and land cover change (LULCC) assuming a static climate. Here we revisit a proven methodology to infer the potential effects of LULCC on temperature based on a local space-for-time substitution, but we apply it annually across the globe for 15 consecutive years covering changing climate conditions. This opens the possibility to explore the inter-annual variability of the biophysical effects of LULCC, along with changes across climatic gradients. At specific look on extreme events enables us to assess how these dampen or amplify the biophysical effects of different LULCC transitions. Overall, this study establishes a first step towards inferring an observation-driven diagnostic that can provide guidance towards land-based mitigation strategies for a future and changing climate.

How to cite: Duveiller, G. and Cescatti, A.: Biophysical effects of LULCC in a changing climate, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-17927, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-17927, 2020