ANTHROPOGENIC CLIMATE MODIFICATION:nMODELING THE REMOVAL OF THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

摘要

Modification of the earth's surface resulting from increased agri¬cultural and economic activity may affect the climate by perturbing the solar and longwave (infrared) radiation balances and the hydrologic cycle, which in turn affects the atmospheric circulation. Consequently, modi¬fications to the earth's surface at one latitude might well influence the climate regionally and possibly globally. The possible climatic consequences of the deforestation of the tropical rain forest are assessed using a two-dimensional (meridional and vertical) zonal atmospheric model (ZAM2) which includes many of the physical processes and mechanisms of climate change.