Write the affine variety as . Its coordinate ring is Noetherian, and a coherent sheaf is for a finitely generated -module . We first justify the acyclic resolution used to compute its sheaf cohomology.
If is an injective module, then is a flasque sheaf. Indeed every open in this Noetherian scheme has the form for a finitely generated ideal. Clearing denominators gives
Here a homomorphism gives, on a principal open with , the fraction ; the fractions agree on overlaps. Conversely choose fractions for a section on a finite principal-open cover. A common power clears their denominators and the finitely many compatibility relations. Multiplication by a further power of kills any elements supported on , producing a well-defined map on some . Changing that power accounts for the direct limit. This is the sheafification of an injective module is flasque construction. Since is injective, each map extends to . Thus every section on every open extends to . Extending globally and restricting again also proves surjectivity for restrictions between arbitrary opens.
Choose an injective module resolution . Localization is exact, so sheafifying gives a flasque resolution of . Its global-section complex is exactly , since . This complex is exact in positive degrees, and a flasque resolution computes sheaf cohomology. Consequently
The argument actually proves vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme, without finite generation of .
For the intersection assertion, varieties are taken to be separated, as usual. The diagonal morphism is a closed immersion. Its inverse image over identifies with a closed subvariety of the affine variety . A closed subvariety of an affine variety is affine: its coordinate ring is the ambient coordinate ring modulo its defining ideal. Thus is affine. Repeated application gives affine finite intersections. Without separatedness this statement need not hold.
Choose a finite affine open cover of the projective variety . For ordered indices write . The answer is the cohomology of the Čech cochain complex
In particular and, in positive degree,
The chart modules , together with their restriction and gluing maps, supply the modules on overlaps by localization. The gluing maps are essential; abstract chart modules alone do not specify a sheaf.
For completeness, take a flasque resolution and its double complex of Čech cochain complexes on this cover. In the resolution direction, its cohomology is , which vanishes for by the affine result. In the cover direction, the augmented Čech cochain complex of a flasque sheaf is exact: sections can be extended from overlaps, successively adjusting a cocycle to eliminate one cover member at a time. Equivalently the augmented sheaf complex is stalkwise contracted by inserting a cover index containing the point. Thus computing the total cohomology in the two directions identifies Čech cohomology with sheaf cohomology, proving the displayed description.