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在季节、年际和年代际时间尺度上区域气候演变中的地表条件的理解。在以往的大多数模拟评估中，使用大气环流模式(GCM)评估目前或以前的陆地表面状况及其对非洲气候的影响。薛博士将使用双向耦合模型研究气候--陆地-地表的相互作用，在该模型中，植被也会对环流做出反应。这通常被称为“动态”植被建模。薛博士将把一个名为TRIFID(自上而下表示包括动态的交互树叶和植物群)的全球动态植被模型纳入国家环境预测中心的S全球和区域气候模型中，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。特里菲德模型是在英国气象局开发的，彼得·考克斯在该模型的开发中发挥了重要作用，他正在与薛博士合作开展这个项目。该项目的独特之处在于它将大气的综合模型(如NCEP GCM或ETA模型)与动态植被模型相结合。NSF地球科学委员会的大型动态气象学(LDM/ATM)、气候动力学(CDP/ATM)和水文科学(HSP/EAR)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.