Ecoclimate Teleconnections: Effects of a Shifting Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

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The goals of this project are to quantify the impact of ecosystem-climate, or ecoclimate, teleconnections on regions remote to the original forcing and to identify feedbacks associated with the change in ecosystem structure, function, and productivity in those locations. Prior work has shown that an increase in mid latitude forest cover can raise northern hemisphere temperature and has the ability to shift the general circulation of the tropics and the location of precipitation associated with the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). This ecosystem-driven teleconnection links productivity in land regions remote to one another through the circulation of the atmosphere. Through an offline-coupling approach with both a global-scale circulation model and a model of ecosystem dynamics, the first order impact of feedbacks associated with changes in vegetation cover will be quantified. In particular the impact of mid latitude tree cover on the location of the ITCZ will be quantified and the resulting change in tropical forest productivity and structure will be assessed. The impact of any changes in tropical forest structure back onto the global climate system will also be examined. The scientific questions that will be addressed in this project are the following: Can large-scale changes in mid latitude tree cover destabilize ecosystems in other parts of the world through atmospheric teleconnections? How are these ecoclimate teleconnections communicated through the atmosphere? How much change in mid latitude tree cover is needed to impact forests in the tropics? Improved understanding of ecosystem-climate interactions has substantial broader impacts.