Differential Vegetation Feedback on the Global Land Monsoon System during the Mid-Holocene and Last Interglacial

Abstract This study investigates the impact of vegetation–climate feedback on the global land monsoon system during the Last Interglacial (LIG, 127 000 years BP) and the mid-Holocene (MH, 6000 years BP) using the earth system model EC-Earth3. Our findings indicate that vegetation changes significantly influence the global monsoon area and precipitation patterns, especially in the North African and Indian monsoon regions. The North African monsoon region experienced the most substantial increase in vegetation during both the LIG and MH, resulting in significant increases in monsoonal precipitation by 9.8% and 6.0%, respectively. The vegetation feedback also intensified the Saharan Heat Low, strengthened monsoonal flows, and enhanced precipitation over the North African monsoon region. In contrast, the Indian monsoon region exhibited divergent responses to vegetation changes. During the LIG, precipitation in the Indian monsoon region decreased by 2.2%, while it increased by 1.6% during the MH. These differences highlight the complex and region-specific impacts of vegetation feedback on monsoon systems. Overall, this study demonstrates that vegetation feedback exerts distinct influences on the global monsoon during the MH and LIG. These findings highlight the importance of considering vegetation–climate feedback in understanding past monsoon variability and in predicting future climate change impacts on monsoon systems.