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Implications of Vegetation Change
Pages 15-20

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From page 15...
... ALBEDO AND ENERGY FEEDBACKS Land surface temperature results from the Earth's surface energy balance, which is the equilibrium between radiative, ground, and turbulent heat flux, explained Thomas O'Halloran, Clemson University. Radiation values (both shortwave and longwave)
From page 16...
... Additionally, the extent of greening differs among tree species, especially when considering evergreen versus deciduous stands. Simulated fire concurrent with climate change led to greater deciduous forest dominance and yielded reductions in the soil organic layer and deepening permafrost thaw that did not recover over time, which has potential implications for long-term carbon storage and greenhouse gas release from soils.
From page 17...
... are resulting in destabilizing feedbacks that are more commonly pushing ecosystems toward the deciduous forest state. Deciduous stands are associated with faster decomposition and nutrient cycling, warmer soils, and higher productivity than observed in black spruce stands.
From page 18...
... Mack noted that a major implication of this shift to deciduous dominance is an observed increase in net ecosystem carbon storage in wood resulting from higher nutrient-use efficiency and the transfer of nitrogen from the soils to the wood. WILDLIFE Elie Gurarie, University of Maryland, provided an overview of the complex linkages among migratory caribou, vegetation change, and other factors.
From page 19...
... For example, increased shrub cover may provide wind and snow barriers and riverbank stabilization. For energy production, when woody species increase in cover, the wood may be used as a much cheaper fuel source than fossil fuels, and examples of this now occurring in interior Alaska were mentioned.


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