Studying the vegetation feedback during warm periods of the past can lead to better understanding of those in the future.In this study, we conducted several simulations to analyze vegetation feedback during the mid-Pliocene warm period. The results indicate that the main features of vegetation change in the mid-Pliocene were a northward shift of needleleaf tree, an expansion of broadleaf tree and shrub, and a northward expansion of grass, as compared to the pre-industrial period. The global annual mean warming ratio caused by vegetation feedback was 12.1%, and this warming ratio was much larger in northern middle and high latitudes. The warming caused by vegetation change was directly related to the surface albedo change and was further amplified by snow/sea ice–albedo feedback.
Using the simulations performed by 15 cli mate models under the latest protocol of the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project(PMIP)Phase 3(PMIP3),the authors revisited the annual and seasona temperature changes over China during the mid-Holocene Similar to the previous results produced by PMIP Phase 1(PMIP1)and 2(PMIP2)models,14(15)of the 15 PMIP3models reproduced colder annual(boreal winter and spring)temperature in response to mid-Holocene insola tion changes,with an average cooling of 0.33 K(1.31 K and 1.58 K)over China.The mid-Holocene boreal sum mer(autumn)temperature increased in all(13)of the 15PMIP3 models,with an average warming of 1.02 K(0.61K)at the national scale.Those changes simulated by the PMIP3 models were similar to those from the PMIP2simulations but generally weaker than those from the PMIP1 models.A considerable mismatch still existed between the simulated cooling by the PMIP3 models and the reconstructed warming for annual and winter tem peratures over China during the mid-Holocene,as wa also the case between the previous PMIP1/2 simulation and proxy data.
