Increasing sensitivity of dryland vegetation greenness to precipitation due to rising atmospheric CO2

Yao Zhang (), Pierre Gentine, Xiangzhong Luo, Xu Lian, Yanlan Liu, Sha Zhou, Anna M. Michalak, Wu Sun, Joshua B. Fisher, Shilong Piao and Trevor F. Keenan ()
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Yao Zhang: Peking University
Pierre Gentine: Columbia University
Xiangzhong Luo: National University of Singapore
Xu Lian: Peking University
Yanlan Liu: The Ohio State University
Sha Zhou: Beijing Normal University
Anna M. Michalak: Carnegie Institution for Science
Wu Sun: Carnegie Institution for Science
Joshua B. Fisher: Chapman University
Shilong Piao: Peking University
Trevor F. Keenan: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Water availability plays a critical role in shaping terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in low- and mid-latitude regions. The sensitivity of vegetation growth to precipitation strongly regulates global vegetation dynamics and their responses to drought, yet sensitivity changes in response to climate change remain poorly understood. Here we use long-term satellite observations combined with a dynamic statistical learning approach to examine changes in the sensitivity of vegetation greenness to precipitation over the past four decades. We observe a robust increase in precipitation sensitivity (0.624% yr−1) for drylands, and a decrease (−0.618% yr−1) for wet regions. Using model simulations, we show that the contrasting trends between dry and wet regions are caused by elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2). eCO2 universally decreases the precipitation sensitivity by reducing leaf-level transpiration, particularly in wet regions. However, in drylands, this leaf-level transpiration reduction is overridden at the canopy scale by a large proportional increase in leaf area. The increased sensitivity for global drylands implies a potential decrease in ecosystem stability and greater impacts of droughts in these vulnerable ecosystems under continued global change.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32631-3

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