African Regional Climate-Land Surface Interactions: Evaluated from a Coupled Atmosphere--Dynamic Vegetation Model

该项目将提高我们对非洲陆地表面条件在季节、年际和十年时间尺度上区域气候演变的认识。在大多数以前的模拟评估中，陆地表面条件被规定为当前或以前的状态，并使用大气环流模型（GCM）评估其对非洲气候的影响。薛博士将使用双向耦合模式研究气候-陆面相互作用，其中植被也对环流作出反应。这通常被称为“动态”植被建模。薛博士将在国家环境预测中心（NCEP）的全球和区域（eta）气候模型中纳入一个动态全球植被模型，称为TRIFID（交互式树叶和植物群包括动态的自上而下表示），并将模拟植被的演变与最近基于卫星的高分辨率植被估计进行比较。TRIFFID模式是在联合王国气象局开发的，Peter考克斯在其开发过程中发挥了重要作用，目前正在与薛博士合作开展这一项目。该项目的独特之处在于它将一个综合的大气模型，如NCEP GCM或eta模型，与一个动态植被模型相结合。美国国家科学基金会地球科学理事会的大尺度动态气象学（LDM/ATM）、气候动力学（CDP/ATM）和水文科学（HSP/HSPs）计划为该项目提供资金。

The project will improve our understanding of African land-surface conditions in evolution of regional climate at seasonal, interannual, and decadal time scales. In most previous modeling assessments, land-surface conditions were prescribed to their current or former states and their impact on African climate assessed using an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM). Dr. Xue will investigate climate--land-surface interactions using a two-way coupled model, in which vegetation responds to circulation as well. This is often referred to as "dynamic" vegetation modeling. Dr. Xue will incorporate a dynamic global vegetation model, called TRIFFID (Top-down Representation of Interactive Foliage and Flora Including Dynamics), within National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)'s global and regional (eta) climate models and compare the evolution of simulated vegetation with recent satellite based high-resolution estimates of vegetation. The TRIFFID model was developed at the United Kingdom Meteorological Office, and Peter Cox, who was instrumental in its development, is collaborating with Dr. Xue on this project. The project is unique in its coupling of a comprehensive model of the atmosphere, such as the NCEP GCM or eta model, to a dynamic vegetation model.The Large-scale Dynamic Meteorology (LDM/ATM), Climate Dynamics (CDP/ATM), and the Hydrologic Sciences (HSP/EAR) programs in NSF's Geosciences directorate are funding this project.