The application visualises the effect of tropical deforestation on local temperatures across the Maritime Continent in South-East Asia and Oceania. It allows you to explore the warming effects of different deforestation scenarios. You can supply your area-of-interest (AOI) as a GeoPackage polygon file or use the drawing tools on the map to create an AOI.
There are several mechanisms through which forest cover and forest loss events affect temperature. These include modifications to the energy balance through changes in latent heat exchange, surface roughness properties, and albedo.
The predictions are generated using statistical models that relate different types of forest loss to changes in temperature. These models estimate the warming effect of different levels of local forest loss and forest loss at varying distances from the site of interest. The cumulative effect of each of these forest loss events represents the total forest loss-driven warming experienced at a location. These models also account for the nature of forest loss: clear felling or smallholder / fragmented. Smallholder / fragmented forest loss results in patchy forest cover and a reduction in the warming effect.
Clear fell forest loss is the complete removal of trees and woody cover at a location.
Smallholder or fragmented forest loss events do not result in complete removal (clear felling) of forested stands. Often, what remains is patchy forest cover interspersed with other land uses. Our analysis has demonstrated that the patchiness or pattern of remnant cover affects forest cover-heat relationships and typically attenuates the warming signal associated with forest loss.
Use the file upload widget to load a GeoPackage into the app to delineate your AOI. The GeoPackage should store a single geometry feature that intersects with the Maritime Continent in South East Asia and Oceania. If your GeoPackage stores more than one feature, the first feature will be used.
Use the drawing tools to draw an AOI on the map where deforestation-driven temperature change predictions will be generated.
Use the slider to specify the percentage amount of forest loss in each forested pixel within your AOI
Use the checkbox to select the type of deforestation event occurring inside your AOI. Clear fell deforestation results in complete removal of tree cover within the percentage amount specified. Smallholder / fragmented deforestation results in patchy forest loss within the area of deforestation.