Self‐beneficial effects of vegetation on climate in an ocean‐atmosphere general circulation model

Abstract

Biotic influences on climate may be important for sustaining life on Earth. Terrestrial vegetation may contribute by affecting surface‐atmosphere fluxes of energy and moisture; the importance of this is examined here by performing two climate simulations with and without vegetation, and using each of the resulting climates as input to a vegetation model. Results suggest that contemporary vegetation increases continental precipitation by 15% while generally reducing temperature extremes, and in a simulation neglecting these effects, the boreal, Amazonian and South‐East Asian forests cannot become established. The climatological influences of vegetation increase simulated net primary productivity on land by 28% and allow 69% more vegetation biomass to be sustained, implying that bio‐geophysical feedbacks are crucial for maintaining present‐day patterns of vegetation.