Identifying Hotspots of Tropical Deforestation to Induce Teleconnection Patterns

Abstract:

Previous studies have indicated that tropical deforestation would result in changes in regional climate and could affect extratropical climate through teleconnections. However, less attention has been paid to the influence of deforestation locations on teleconnection patterns. In this study, we propose the existence of hotspot regions, where deforestation forcing produces larger responses in the specific teleconnection patterns. To identify these hotspot regions and understand the teleconnection mechanisms, a series of experiments are conducted using the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) coupled to a slab ocean model. For the identified hotspots, we further use NCAR Community Earth System Model (CESM) to verify the teleconnection processes and the associated physical mechanisms.