Laguë, M. M. (2023) From plants to planets: land surface effects on global climate. Rouse Climate Lecture, McMaster University. Hamilton, ON (virtual). March 2023.

Climate modulates what plants grow where, but the reverse of this is also true: plants alter climate by controlling fluxes of water and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. Changes in land surface properties - such as changes in albedo, evaporative resistance, and aerodynamic properties associated with vegetation change - directly drive changes in local terrestrial climate. However, they also trigger atmospheric responses such as changes in cloud cover and air temperatures. These land-driven atmospheric responses feedback on surface climate both locally and remotely. In this lecture, Dr. Laguë will demonstrate how to isolate the effect of individual land surface properties on terrestrial and global climate using a hierarchy of model complexity, and will quantify the magnitude of atmospheric feedbacks to land surface change.

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