Vivek K. Arora

Research Scientist - Terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycles, Representation of terrestrial biogeochemical cycles in earth system models, Carbon-climate interactions, Hydrological processes in climate models

Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Victoria, BC

CURRENT S&T / RESEARCH

Development, application and implementation of 1) terrestrial ecosystem models and 2) surface hydrological models within the framework of earth system models

• Application of earth system models to investigate future emissions scenarios and their effect on atmospheric CO2 concentration
• Use of earth system models to make quantitative projections of future state of the terrestrial biosphere
• Evaluation of feedbacks between the climate and the terrestrial biosphere
• Use of climate models to investigate effect of climate change on hydrology

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES / INTERESTS

Member of the American Geophsyical Union

Supervision of graduate students at Centre pour l'étude et la simulation du climat à l'échelle régionale (Centre ESCER), Université du Québec à Montréal, and give guest lectures for graduate courses (on terrestrial biosphere and its interactions with the climate system) at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Univ. of Victoria.

Contributing author to Chapter 7 (Couplings between the changes in climate system and biogeochemistry) of the fourth assessment report of the IPCC.

KEY PUBLICATIONS

2013

• Jones, C., E. Robertson, V. K. Arora, P. Friedlingstein, E. Shevliakova, L. Bopp, V. Brovkin, T. Hajima, E. Kato, M. Kawamiya, S. Liddicoat, K. Lindsay, C. H. Reick, C. Roelandt, J. Segschneider, and J. Tjiputra (2013). 21^st Century compatible CO₂ emissions and airborne fraction simulated by CMIP5 Earth System models under 4 Representative Concentration Pathway, J. Cllim., in press.
• Boer, G. J and V. K. Arora, V. K. (2013). Feedbacks in emission-driven and concentration-driven global carbon budgets, J. Cllim., in press.
  
• Arora, V. K., G. J. Boer, P. Friedlingstein, M. Eby, C. D. Jones, J. R. Christian, G. Bonan, L. Bopp, V. Brovkin, P. Cadule, T. Hajima, T. Ilyina, K. Lindsay, J. F. Tjiputra, and T. Wu (2013). Carbon-concentration and carbon-climate feedbacks in CMIP5 Earth system models, J. Clim., in press.
• Fyfe, J. C., J. N. S. Cole, V. K. Arora, and J. F. Scinocca (2013). Biogeochemical carbon coupling influences global precipitation in geoengineering experiments, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, doi:10.1002/grl.50166.

2012

• Wania, R., Meissner, K. J., Eby, M., Arora, V. K., Ross, I., and Weaver, A. J. 2012. Carbon-nitrogen feedbacks in the UVic ESCM. Geosci. Model Dev., 5, 1137-1160, doi:10.5194/gmd-5-1137-2012.
• R. Li and Arora, V. K. 2012. Effect of mosaic representation of vegetation in land surface schemes on simulated energy and carbon balances. Biogeosciences, 9, 593-605.
• Gillett, N. P., V. K. Arora, G. M. Flato, J. F. Scinocca, and K. von Salzen 2012. Improved constraints on 21st-century warming derived using 160 years of temperature observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L01704, doi:10.1029/2011GL050226.
• Zickfeld, K., V. K. Arora, and N. P. Gillett, 2012. Is the climate response to CO₂ emissions path dependent?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L05703, doi:10.1029/2011GL050205.

2011

• Arora, V. K. and A. Montenegro. 2011. Small temperature benefits provided by realistic afforestation efforts. Nature Geoscience. DOI:10.1038/NGEO1182.
• Arora, V. K., J. F. Scinocca, G. J. Boer, J. R. Christian, K. L. Denman, G. M. Flato, V. V. Kharin, W. G. Lee, and W. J. Merryfield. 2011. Carbon emission limits required to satisfy future representative concentration pathways of greenhouse gases. Geophys. Res. Lett.. 38, L05805, doi:10.1029/2010GL046270.
• Gillett, N., V.K. Arora, K. Zickfeld, S. Marshall and W. Merryfield. 2011. Ongoing climate change following a complete cessation of carbon dioxide emissions. Nature Geoscience. 4, 83-87.
• Huang, S., M.A. Arain, V.K. Arora, F. Yuan, J. Brodeur, M. Peichl. 2011. Analysis of nitrogen controls on carbon and water exchanges in a conifer forest using the CLASS-CTEM^N+ model, Ecological Modelling, 222, 3743-3760.

2010 

• Arora, V.K. and G.J. Boer. 2010. Uncertainties in the 20th century carbon budget associated with land use change. Global Change Biology. 16(12), 3327-3348.
• Christian, J. R., V. K. Arora, G. J. Boer, C. Curry, K. Zahariev, K. Denman, G. Flato, W. Lee, W. Merryfield, N. Roulet, and J. Scinocca. 2010. The global carbon cycle in the CCCma earth system model CanESM1: preindustrial control simulation. J. Geophy. Res. (Biogeosciences). 115, G03014, doi:10.1029/2008JG000920. 
• Boer, G. J., and V. K. Arora. 2010. Geographic aspects of temperature and concentration feedbacks in the carbon budget. J. Clim. 23, 775-784.
• St-Hilaire, F., J. Wu, N. T. Roulet, S. Frolking, P. M. Lafleur, E. R. Humphreys, and V. Arora (2010) McGill Wetland Model: evaluation of a peatland carbon simulator developed for global assessments, Biogeosciences, 7, 3517-3530.

2009

• Arora, V. K., G. J. Boer, J. R. Christian, C. L. Curry, K. L. Denman, K. Zahariev, G. M. Flato, J. F. Scinocca, W. J. Merryfield, W. G. Lee. 2009. The effect of terrestrial photosynthesis down-regulation on the 20th century carbon budget simulated with the CCCma Earth System Model. J. Clim. 22, 6066-6088. 
• Boer, G. J., and V. K. Arora. 2009. Temperature and concentration feedbacks in the carbon cycle. Geophys. Res. Lett.. 36, L02704, doi:10.1029/2008GL036220. 
• Arora, V. K., and H. D. Matthews. 2009. Characterizing uncertainty in modeling primary terrestrial ecosystem processes. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 23, GB2016, 10.1029/2008GB003398. 

2007

• Arora, V.K. and S. Harrison. 2007. Upscaling river networks for use in climate models. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L21407, doi:10.1029/2007GL031865. 

2006

• Wang, A., D. Price, and V. Arora. 2006. Estimating changes in global vegetation cover (1850-2100) for use in climate models. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 20(3), GB3028, 10.1029/2005GB002514.
• Arora, V.K. and G.J. Boer. 2006. "Achieving coexistence. Comment on "Modelling rainforest diversity: The role of competition" by Bampfylde et al. 2005. Ecological Modelling. 192(1-2), 322-324. 
• Arora, V.K. and G.J. Boer. 2006. Simulating competition and coexistence between plant functional types in a dynamic vegetation model. Earth Interactions. Vol. 10, Paper 10, 30 pp. 
• Arora, V.K. and G. J. Boer. 2006. The temporal variability of soil moisture and surface hydrological quantities in a climate model. J. Clim. 19(22), 5875-5888.

2005

• Arora, V.K. and G.J. Boer. 2005. Fire as an interactive component of dynamic vegetation models. J. Geophys. Res. - Biogeosciences. 110(G2), G02008, 10.1029/2005JG000042.
• Arora, V.K. 2005. Comment on "Optimized stomatal conductance of vegetated land surfaces and its effects on simulated productivity and climate", by A. Kleidon. Geophys. Res. Lett. 32(8), L08708, 10.1029/2004GL022110.
• Arora, V.K. and G.J. Boer. 2005. A parameterization of leaf phenology for the terrestrial ecosystem component of climate models. Global Change Biology. 11(1), 39-59. 
• Grant R.F., Arain A., Arora V., Barr A., Black T.A., Chen J., Wang, S., Yuan F., and Zhang Y. 2005. Intercomparison of techniques to model high temperature effects on CO2 and energy exchange in temperate and boreal coniferous forests. Ecological Modelling. 188(2-4), 217-252.

2004

• Whitfield. P.H., P.J. Pilon, D.H. Burn, V. Arora, H.F. Lins, T. Ouarda, C.D. Sellars, and C. Spence. 2004. Climate Variability and Change . Rivers and Streams, in Threats to Water Availability in Canada, NWRI Scientific Assessment Report Series No. 3 and ACSD Scientific Assessment Series No. 1, National Water Research Institute, Meteorological Service of Canada, 85-90 pp. 

2003 

• Arora, V.K. and G.J. Boer. 2003. A representation of variable root distribution in dynamic vegetation models. Earth Interactions. Vol. 7, Paper 6, 19 pp.
  
• Arora, V.K. 2003. Simulating energy and carbon fluxes over winter wheat using coupled land surface and terrestrial ecosystem models. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 118(1-2), 21-47.
• Lucas-Picher, P., V.K. Arora, D. Caya, and R. Laprise. 2003. Implementation of a large-scale variable velocity flow routing algorithm in the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM). Atmosphere-Ocean. 41(2), 139-153. 

2002 

• Arora, V.K. 2002. Modelling vegetation as a dynamic component in soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer schemes and hydrological models. Reviews of Geophysics. 40(2), 1006, 10.1029/2001RG000103. 
• Arora, V.K., and Boer, G.J. 2002. A GCM-based assessment of simulated global moisture budget and the role of land-surface moisture reservoirs in processing precipitation. Climate Dynamics. 20(1), 13-29.
• Arora, V.K. 2002. The use of aridity index to assess climate change effect on annual runoff. J. Hydrol.. 265(1-4), 164-177.

2001

• Arora, V.K., and Boer, G.J. 2001. Effects of simulated climate change on the hydrology of major river basins. J. Geophy. Res.. 106 (D4), 3335-3348. 
• Arora, V.K. 2001. Streamflow simulations for continental scale river basins in a global atmospheric general circulation model. Advances in Water Resources. 24(7), 775-791. 
• Arora, V.K., F. Seglenieks, N. Kouwen, and E. Soulis. 2001. Scaling aspects of river flow routing. Hydrological Processes. 15(3), 461-477.
• Arora, V.K., F.H.S. Chiew, and R.B. Grayson. 2001. Effect of sub-grid scale variability of soil moisture and precipitation intensity on surface runoff and streamflow. J. Geophy. Res.. 106(D15), 17073-17091.
• Arora, V.K. 2001. Assessment of simulated water balance for continental-scale river basins in an AMIP II simulation. J. Geophy. Res.. 106(D14), 14827-14842.

2000

• Arora, V.K., Chiew, F.H.S. and Grayson, R.B. 2000. Use of river runoff to test the CSIRO9 land surface scheme in the Amazon and the Mississippi River Basins. Intl. J. of Climatology. 20(10), 1077-1096. 

1999

• Arora, V.K., and Boer, G.J. 1999. A variable velocity flow routing algorithm for GCMs. J. Geophy. Res.. 104 (D24), 30965-30979. 
• Arora, V.K., Chiew, F.H.S. and Grayson, R.B. 1999. A river flow routing scheme for general circulation models. J. Geophy. Res.. 104 (D12), 14347-14357. [Correction to the paper].