The biophysical and biogeochemical impacts of global forest cover changes on land surface temperature from 2001 to 2020

The global forest cover is undergoing significant changes which affect climate through biophysical and biogeochemical processes. Using potential biophysical effects and carbon flux datasets, we quantify the biophysical and biogeochemical impacts of forest cover changes over the past two decades. The net loss of global forest cover from 2001 to 2020 resulted in global average warming of 0.0042°C, with biophysical and biogeochemical contributions of 0.0020°C and 0.0022°C, respectively. The biophysical impacts dominated most regions of the world (68%), and the biogeochemical impacts were mainly concentrated in Europe and the tropics. The tradeoff between biophysical and biogeochemical impacts was found for 58% of forest cover change areas, mainly in boreal regions, while synergy was distributed in the southeastern United States and tropical regions. The study highlights the urgent need to protect and manage forest cover to reverse the warming.