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Contrasting impacts of forests on cloud cover based on satellite observations

Author

Listed:
  • Ru Xu

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Yan Li

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Adriaan J. Teuling

    (Wageningen University and Research)

  • Lei Zhao

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Dominick V. Spracklen

    (University of Leeds)

  • Luis Garcia-Carreras

    (University of Manchester)

  • Ronny Meier

    (Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich
    Umweltschutz, Stadt Luzern)

  • Liang Chen

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Youtong Zheng

    (Princeton University
    NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab)

  • Huiqing Lin

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Normal University)

  • Bojie Fu

    (Beijing Normal University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Forests play a pivotal role in regulating climate and sustaining the hydrological cycle. The biophysical impacts of forests on clouds, however, remain unclear. Here, we use satellite data to show that forests in different regions have opposite effects on summer cloud cover. We find enhanced clouds over most temperate and boreal forests but inhibited clouds over Amazon, Central Africa, and Southeast US. The spatial variation in the sign of cloud effects is driven by sensible heating, where cloud enhancement is more likely to occur over forests with larger sensible heat, and cloud inhibition over forests with smaller sensible heat. Ongoing forest cover loss has led to cloud increase over forest loss hotspots in the Amazon (+0.78%), Indonesia (+1.19%), and Southeast US (+ 0.09%), but cloud reduction in East Siberia (-0.20%) from 2002-2018. Our data-driven assessment improves mechanistic understanding of forest-cloud interactions, which remain uncertain in Earth system models.

Suggested Citation

  • Ru Xu & Yan Li & Adriaan J. Teuling & Lei Zhao & Dominick V. Spracklen & Luis Garcia-Carreras & Ronny Meier & Liang Chen & Youtong Zheng & Huiqing Lin & Bojie Fu, 2022. "Contrasting impacts of forests on cloud cover based on satellite observations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-28161-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28161-7
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yitao Li & Zhao-Liang Li & Hua Wu & Chenghu Zhou & Xiangyang Liu & Pei Leng & Peng Yang & Wenbin Wu & Ronglin Tang & Guo-Fei Shang & Lingling Ma, 2023. "Biophysical impacts of earth greening can substantially mitigate regional land surface temperature warming," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Jun Ge & Qi Liu & Beilei Zan & Zhiqiang Lin & Sha Lu & Bo Qiu & Weidong Guo, 2022. "Deforestation intensifies daily temperature variability in the northern extratropics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Raphael Portmann & Urs Beyerle & Edouard Davin & Erich M. Fischer & Steven Hertog & Sebastian Schemm, 2022. "Global forestation and deforestation affect remote climate via adjusted atmosphere and ocean circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Hao Luo & Johannes Quaas & Yong Han, 2024. "Decreased cloud cover partially offsets the cooling effects of surface albedo change due to deforestation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.

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