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Impact of air pollution induced climate change on water availability and ecosystem productivity in the conterminous United States

Author

Listed:
  • Kai Duan

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Ge Sun

    (Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, USDA Forest Service)

  • Yang Zhang

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Khairunnisa Yahya

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Kai Wang

    (North Carolina State University)

  • James M. Madden

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Peter V. Caldwell

    (Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, USDA Forest Service)

  • Erika C. Cohen

    (Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, USDA Forest Service)

  • Steven G. McNulty

    (Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, USDA Forest Service)

Abstract

Air pollution from greenhouse gases and atmospheric aerosols are the major driving force of climate change that directly alters the terrestrial hydrological cycle and ecosystem functions. However, most current Global Climate Models (GCMs) use prescribed chemical concentrations of limited species; they do not explicitly simulate the time-varying concentrations of trace gases and aerosols and their impacts on climate change. This study investigates the individual and combined impacts of climate change and air pollution on water availability and ecosystem productivity over the conterminous US (CONUS). An ecohydrological model is driven by multiple regional climate scenarios with and without taking into account the impacts of air pollutants on the climate system. The results indicate that regional chemistry-climate feedbacks may largely offset the future warming and wetting trends predicted by GCMs without considering air pollution at the CONUS scale. Consequently, the interactions of air pollution and climate change are expected to significantly reduce water availability by the middle of twenty-first century. On the other hand, the combined impact of climate change and air pollution on ecosystem productivity is less pronounced, but there may still be notable declines in eastern and central regions. The results suggest that air pollution could aggravate regional climate change impacts on water shortage. We conclude that air pollution plays an important role in affecting climate and thus ecohydrological processes. Overlooking the impact of air pollution may cause evident overestimation of future water availability and ecosystem productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Kai Duan & Ge Sun & Yang Zhang & Khairunnisa Yahya & Kai Wang & James M. Madden & Peter V. Caldwell & Erika C. Cohen & Steven G. McNulty, 2017. "Impact of air pollution induced climate change on water availability and ecosystem productivity in the conterminous United States," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 259-272, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:140:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-016-1850-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-016-1850-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Siwen Ji & Shuhua Ma, 2022. "The effects of industrial pollution on ecosystem service value: a case study in a heavy industrial area, China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6804-6833, May.

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