Summary/Abstract
In recent decades, China has experienced reforestation, grassland-to cropland conversions and bare land-to-grassland conversions. This peer-reviewed study uses climate modeling combined with regional mapping of China’s land use change to predict the impact of these changes on surface temperatures in China. The study finds that these changes resulted in a cooling of both the daily average and daily maximum surface temperature. These results are a promising indicator that China and other countries can mitigate the impacts of extreme heat by restoring land to its original plant cover.