Pysarenko L. The influence of deforestation on regional climate characteristics in Ukraine based on a numerical retrospective experiment

The thesis is devoted to the research on the effect of land cover change, particularly, the partial deforestation on regional climate characteristics of radiation, thermal, moisture and wind regimes in the atmospheric boundary layer for different seasons and three latitudinal zones under minimal anthropogenic impact for the territory of Ukraine. Human-induced land use in the historical past has already significantly affected land cover changes, which in turn influences climate and biogeochemical cycles. The expected projected intensification in land use to meet the population needs for the future demands the understanding of consequences of land use in the past. These effects are possible to study by applying numerical modelling. Among the most significant processes of land cover change with impact on the climate system is deforestation. This problem is also typical for Ukraine. The impact of deforestation on regional climate, particularly in midlatitudes, is still not well studied. Thus, the lack of understanding this influence causes the increase of biases in forecast/climate models for the analysis of climate projections of expected changes in the future. Considering the anthropogenic input in the climate system, it is necessary to research a period under minimal/absent human-induced on climate system.