Abstract
Cumulus clouds in the atmospheric boundary layer play a key
role in the hydrologic cycle, in the onset of severe weather
by thunderstorms and in modulating Earth’s reflectivity and
climate1. How these clouds respond to climate change, in
particular over land, and how they interact with the carbon
cycle are poorly understood2,3. It is expected that as a
consequence of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations the
plant stomata will close4,5, leading to lower latent heat fluxes
and higher sensible heat fluxes. Here we show that this causes
a decline in boundary-layer cloud formation in middle latitudes.
This could be partly counteracted by the greater ability of
a warmer atmosphere to take up water and by a growth
in biomass due to CO2 fertilization6. Our results are based
on a new soil–water–atmosphere–plant model supported by
comprehensive observational evidence, from which we identify
the dominant atmospheric responses to plant physiological
processes. They emphasize the intricate connection between
biological and physical aspects of the climate system and
the relevance of short-term and small-scale processes in
establishing this connection.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 701-704 |
Journal | Nature Geoscience |
Volume | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Keywords
- soil-moisture
- co2
- climate
- feedbacks