HR: 14:10h
AN: H42H-03    [PDF]
TI: The Radiative and Hydrologic Response of Tropical Areas to Local Deforestation
AU: * Werth, D W
EM: werth@duke.edu
AF: Duke University, Dept. of Civil and Evironmental Engineering Box 90287, Durham, NC 27708-0287 United States
AU: Avissar, R
EM: avissar@duke.edu
AF: Duke University, Dept. of Civil and Evironmental Engineering Box 90287, Durham, NC 27708-0287 United States
AB: The local effects of Tropical deforestation have been modeled at both global and regional scales. The consequent climate changes, most notably a reduction in the precipitation and evaporation, have been explained with a simplified model in which a change to the surface albedo leads to reduction in the net radiant energy absorbed in the overlying column. This leads to a reduction in the intensity of the monsoon circulation, and a loss in precipitation. We have done global climate simulations to see the effects of Amazon, African, and Southeast Asian deforestation on the climates of those locations. What we find is that the three areas respond differently to the change, seeing precipitation reductions that occur at different times of the annual precipitation cycle. We will examine the ways in which the three areas react to local deforestation, and study the positive and negative feedbacks that act to enhance or dampen the precipitation response. We find that the differences are partly due to geography, and partly due to variation in the strength of the feedbacks among the three areas.
DE: 1620 Climate dynamics (3309)
DE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects
DE: 1818 Evapotranspiration
DE: 1833 Hydroclimatology
DE: 1878 Water/energy interactions
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting