Deforestation alters the exchange of heat, moisture, and momentum
between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere, which can significantly
affect the surface energy balance and water budget. However, changes in
surface heat fluxes in response to deforestation are diverse among
multi-model simulations. Changes in surface heat fluxes may lead to
further energy partitioning and different land-atmosphere interactions.
This study explores factors that might cause different changes in
surface fluxes under tropical deforestation. The mediating effect of the
Bowen ratio on changes in turbulent surface fluxes in response to the
removal of tropical rainforests is examined with the Community Earth
System Model of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Different
flux partitioning in the mean state of the Bowen ratio is associated
with various flux changes under deforestation. When the mean Bowen ratio
is smaller, deforestation tends to increase sensible heat fluxes and
reduce latent heat fluxes. Our research further indicates that the
simulated mean-state Bowen ratios in the Land Use Model Intercomparison
Project model archive might modulate changes in surface heat fluxes that
provide some clues for the land surface model developments.