We evaluate how winds change when humans grow or cut down forests. Our analysis draws from climate model simulations with extreme scenarios where Europe is either fully forested or covered with grass. We find that the effect of land use change on wind energy is very important: wind energy potentials are twice as high above grass as compared to forest in some locations. Our results imply that wind profile changes should be better incorporated in climate change assessments for wind energy.

Using a high-resolution regionally coupled model, we suggest that Dakar Niño variability will be reinforced under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario. This may be induced by intensified surface heat flux anomalies and, secondarily, by anomalies in horizontal and vertical advection. Increased sea surface temperature (SST) variability can be associated with stronger wind variability, attributed to amplified surface temperature anomalies between ocean and land.