title: Observational evidence for cloud cover enhancement over western European forests.
abstract: Forests impact regional hydrology and climate directly by regulating water and heat fluxes. Indirect effects through cloud formation and precipitation can be important in facilitating continental-scale moisture recycling but are poorly understood at regional scales. In particular, the impact of temperate forest on clouds is largely unknown. Here we provide observational evidence for a strong increase in cloud cover over large forest regions in western Europe based on analysis of 10 years of 15 min resolution data from geostationary satellites. In addition, we show that widespread windthrow by cyclone Klaus in the Landes forest led to a significant decrease in local cloud cover in subsequent years. Strong cloud development along the downwind edges of larger forest areas are consistent with a forest-breeze mesoscale circulation. Our results highlight the need to include impacts on cloud formation when evaluating the water and climate services of temperate forests, in particular around densely populated areas.
authors.affiliation: Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University &Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a (Lumen Building), 6708PA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Adriaan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Teuling
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford OX10 8BB, UK.|National Centre for Earth Observation, Wallingford OX10 8BB, UK.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, 3730AE De Bilt, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan Fokke
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Meirink
authors.affiliation: Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University &Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a (Lumen Building), 6708PA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lieke A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Melsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, VU University, 1081HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Management, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Diego G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Miralles
authors.affiliation: Meteorology and Air Quality Group, Wageningen University &Research, Wageningen 6708PA, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Chiel C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: van Heerwaarden
authors.affiliation: LSCE/IPSL, Laboratoire CEA/CNRS/UVSQ, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vautard
authors.affiliation: LSCE/IPSL, Laboratoire CEA/CNRS/UVSQ, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Annemiek I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Stegehuis
authors.affiliation: Environmental Research (Alterra), Wageningen University &Research, 6708PA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert-Jan
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Nabuurs
authors.affiliation: Meteorology and Air Quality Group, Wageningen University &Research, Wageningen 6708PA, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jordi Vilà-Guerau
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: de Arellano