GLOBAL CLIMATE MODELS AND DYNAMIC VEGETATION CHANGES

Models of global change must come to incorporate changes in terrestria l vegetation. Here we choose a 1-year meshing (coupling) period to lin k a global climate model to a well-known biophysical representation of the continental surface by means of eleven vegetation functional type s. This coupled model is used to answer two questions: Can a 'standard ' GCM 'cope' with sudden switches in continental characteristics?' and Does the climate 'care' about the changing underlying vegetation? We find affirmative answers to both questions. Our results also suggest t hat those content to generate vegetation post facto from climate outpu t have incomplete results.