The Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Changes under Different Greenhouse Gas Concentrations on Climate in Europe

Human activities have modified the Earth's climate through emissions of greenhouse gases and land-use and land-cover changes (LULCC). To investigate the impacts of LULCC under different greenhouse gas concentrations (GHG) on regional climate, several numerical experiments are performed using the fully coupled community earth system model (CESM). Results are as follows. Under the concentrations of greenhouse gases around 1850, the LULCC lead to increases in precipitation in central and eastern Europe, while under concentrations of greenhouse gases around 2000, the LULCC lead to decreases in precipitation in central and eastern Europe. Under the increased GHG concentration, LULCC lead to changes in the atmospheric circulation from convergence to divergence and decrease the air temperature and moisture content. These changes play a dominant role in determining the net impact of LULCC on regional precipitation.