Biomes computed from simulated climatologies
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany)
The biome model of Prentice et al. is used to predict global patterns of potential natural plant formations, or biomes, from climatologies simulated by ECHAM, a model used for climate simulations at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie. This study undertaken in order to show the advantage of this biome model in diagnosing the performance of a climate model and assessing effects of past and future climate changes predicted by a climate model. Good overall agreement is found between global patterns of biomes computed from observed and simulated data of present climate. But there are also major discrepancies indicated by a difference in biomes in Australia, in the Kalahari Desert, and in the Middle West of North America. These discrepancies can be traced back to in simulated rainfall as well as summer or winter temperatures. Global patterns of biomes computed from an ice age simulation reveal that North America, Europe, and Siberia should have been covered largely by tundra and taiga, whereas only small differences are for the tropical rain forests. A potential northeast shift of biomes is expected from a simulation with enhanced CO{sub 2} concentration according to the IPCC Scenario A. Little change is seen in the tropical rain forest and the Sahara. Since the biome model used is not capable of predicting chances in vegetation patterns due to a rapid climate change, the latter simulation to be taken as a prediction of chances in conditions favourable for the existence of certain biomes, not as a reduction of a future distribution of biomes. 15 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 272849
- Journal Information:
- Climate Dynamics, Vol. 9, Issue 4-5; Other Information: PBD: Jan 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Responses in the growth of the northern forests to a CO{sub 2}-induced climatic change, as evaluated by the Frankfurt Biosphere Model -- (FBM)
Generality of leaf trait relationships: A test across six biomes