Interactions between land cover change and temperature-humidity variability on a global scale

The change of land cover affects regional and global climate through the surface energy budget and the water cycle, which determine the interactions between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. Land cover change not only affects the climate but is also influenced by it. The projected climate change and the occurrence of extreme climate events will profoundly affect the land cover, crop production, as well as water and food security. Yet, the complex interactions between land cover changes and climate variability are not fully understood. Previous studies have shown that land cover change influences the mean and extreme values of climate variables such as temperature. However, most research focused on specific types of land cover change such as deforestation or urbanisation and looked at only one climate variable (e.g., temperature). A comprehensive multivariate analysis relating multiple land cover changes and climate variables at the global scale is still missing. Here, we take an observation-based approach that analyses the complex interactions between different types of land cover change and the joint effect of temperature and humidity variability at the global scale. We analyse almost three decades of remotely sensed land cover and climate data to investigate the complex coupling between the patterns of different types of land cover change and the variability of temperature and relative humidity across the globe. Our analysis identifies hotspots of change on a global scale and correlations which will help to devise necessary action plans for sustainable land management and climate change mitigation measures crucial to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.