Forest-Climate Interactions and the Climate Consequences of Forest-Cover Change

About this Research Topic

Background

Forests are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, and the multifaceted ways that they respond to and influence climate are no less complex. Forests affect the biophysical and biogeochemical properties of the land surface, modify the surface energy balance and fluxes of water, momentum, gases (including carbon), and aerosols between the land and the atmosphere. These interactions, which impact both local and teleconnected climate conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation) across a range of spatiotemporal scales, are constantly being modulated by varied atmospheric conditions (e.g., drought, extreme events, fire weather). The result is a continual cycle of forest-climate feedbacks. Forest degradation and forest loss disrupt these interactions, leading to perturbations of the climate system from local to global scales. Reforestation of abandoned pasture and croplands has similarly important climate implications that require detailed understanding as land-management strategies are discussed in the context of climate-change mitigation efforts.

This Research Topic will provide an overview of current understanding of the complexities of forest-climate interactions and the climate impacts of land-use change. Scientists are confronted with the challenge of trying to observe, measure and model these intricate processes, and how they vary across forest types, human disturbances, spatiotemporal scales, land-use changes, and latitudinal gradients. Trade-offs between high-resolution ground-based observations and the comparatively coarse but larger-scale insights provided by remote-sensing products remain to be reconciled. Furthermore, the real-world complexity of forest-atmosphere interactions requires accurate representation in Earth System Models, which may have resolutions on the scale of hundreds of kilometres. Research outcomes are expected to have direct relevance for policymakers by informing land-management strategies, both in terms of preventing further forest disturbance and loss, and for protecting and expanding existing forests.

This topic aims to bring together research on forest-climate interactions from a broad range of disciplines, with insights based on fine-scale in-situ field observations (e.g., flux tower), advanced remote-sensing products and/or climate modelling, and perspectives from multiple spatiotemporal scales. We welcome studies from all forest types, including but not limited to humid tropical rainforests, montane forests, seasonally dry forests, forest-savanna mosaics, temperate woodlands and high-latitude boreal forests. Assessments of land-use change for these different forest types may include deforestation, wildfires, forest degradation, forest management and reforestation, with a focus on historical changes, current status and future projections.

Keywords: land-atmosphere interactions, water cycle, energy budget, aerosol, land-cover change, deforestation, reforestation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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