Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant Responses
Abstract Cumulus clouds make a significant contribution to the Earth's energy balance and hydrological cycle and are a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. Reducing uncertainty by expanding our understanding of the processes that drive cumulus convection is vital to the accurate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2019-02-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL081236 |
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| _version_ | 1849321460446789632 |
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| author | Martin Sikma Jordi Vilà‐Guerau de Arellano |
| author_facet | Martin Sikma Jordi Vilà‐Guerau de Arellano |
| author_sort | Martin Sikma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Cumulus clouds make a significant contribution to the Earth's energy balance and hydrological cycle and are a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. Reducing uncertainty by expanding our understanding of the processes that drive cumulus convection is vital to the accurate identification of future global and regional climate impacts. Here we adopt an interdisciplinary approach that integrates interrelated scales from plant physiology to atmospheric turbulence. Our explicit simulations mimic the land‐atmosphere approach implemented in current numerical weather prediction, and global climate models enable us to conclude that neglecting local plant dynamic responses leads to misrepresentations in the cloud cover and midtropospheric moisture convection of up to 21% and 56%, respectively. Our approach offers insights into the key role played by the active vegetation on atmospheric convective mixing that has recently been identified as the source of half of the variance in global warming projections (i.e., equilibrium climate sensitivity). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a7c9f2cd0b9405abb9e48485d187913 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a7c9f2cd0b9405abb9e48485d1879132025-08-20T03:49:45ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072019-02-014631870187810.1029/2018GL081236Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant ResponsesMartin Sikma0Jordi Vilà‐Guerau de Arellano1Meteorology and Air Quality Section Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The NetherlandsMeteorology and Air Quality Section Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The NetherlandsAbstract Cumulus clouds make a significant contribution to the Earth's energy balance and hydrological cycle and are a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. Reducing uncertainty by expanding our understanding of the processes that drive cumulus convection is vital to the accurate identification of future global and regional climate impacts. Here we adopt an interdisciplinary approach that integrates interrelated scales from plant physiology to atmospheric turbulence. Our explicit simulations mimic the land‐atmosphere approach implemented in current numerical weather prediction, and global climate models enable us to conclude that neglecting local plant dynamic responses leads to misrepresentations in the cloud cover and midtropospheric moisture convection of up to 21% and 56%, respectively. Our approach offers insights into the key role played by the active vegetation on atmospheric convective mixing that has recently been identified as the source of half of the variance in global warming projections (i.e., equilibrium climate sensitivity).https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL081236land‐atmosphere interactionsLEScloud shadingplant stomatal responsesheterogeneitywind |
| spellingShingle | Martin Sikma Jordi Vilà‐Guerau de Arellano Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant Responses Geophysical Research Letters land‐atmosphere interactions LES cloud shading plant stomatal responses heterogeneity wind |
| title | Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant Responses |
| title_full | Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant Responses |
| title_fullStr | Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant Responses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant Responses |
| title_short | Substantial Reductions in Cloud Cover and Moisture Transport by Dynamic Plant Responses |
| title_sort | substantial reductions in cloud cover and moisture transport by dynamic plant responses |
| topic | land‐atmosphere interactions LES cloud shading plant stomatal responses heterogeneity wind |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL081236 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT martinsikma substantialreductionsincloudcoverandmoisturetransportbydynamicplantresponses AT jordivilagueraudearellano substantialreductionsincloudcoverandmoisturetransportbydynamicplantresponses |