Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity

Shilong Piao (), Huijuan Nan, Chris Huntingford, Philippe Ciais, Pierre Friedlingstein, Stephen Sitch, Shushi Peng, Anders Ahlström, Josep G. Canadell, Nan Cong, Sam Levis, Peter E. Levy, Lingli Liu, Mark R. Lomas, Jiafu Mao, Ranga B. Myneni, Philippe Peylin, Ben Poulter, Xiaoying Shi, Guodong Yin, Nicolas Viovy, Tao Wang, Xuhui Wang, Soenke Zaehle, Ning Zeng, Zhenzhong Zeng and Anping Chen
Additional contact information
Shilong Piao: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Huijuan Nan: Sino-French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University
Chris Huntingford: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Philippe Ciais: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, CEA CNRS UVSQ
Pierre Friedlingstein: College of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, University of Exeter
Stephen Sitch: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter
Shushi Peng: Sino-French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University
Anders Ahlström: Lund University
Josep G. Canadell: Global Carbon Project, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Ocean and Atmospheric Flagship
Nan Cong: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Sam Levis: National Center for Atmospheric Research
Peter E. Levy: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, UK
Lingli Liu: State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Mark R. Lomas: University of Sheffield
Jiafu Mao: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Ranga B. Myneni: Boston University
Philippe Peylin: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, CEA CNRS UVSQ
Ben Poulter: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, CEA CNRS UVSQ
Xiaoying Shi: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Guodong Yin: Sino-French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University
Nicolas Viovy: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, CEA CNRS UVSQ
Tao Wang: Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xuhui Wang: Sino-French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University
Soenke Zaehle: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
Ning Zeng: University of Maryland
Zhenzhong Zeng: Sino-French Institute for Earth System Science, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University
Anping Chen: Princeton University

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a proxy of vegetation productivity, is known to be correlated with temperature in northern ecosystems. This relationship, however, may change over time following alternations in other environmental factors. Here we show that above 30°N, the strength of the relationship between the interannual variability of growing season NDVI and temperature (partial correlation coefficient RNDVI-GT) declined substantially between 1982 and 2011. This decrease in RNDVI-GT is mainly observed in temperate and arctic ecosystems, and is also partly reproduced by process-based ecosystem model results. In the temperate ecosystem, the decrease in RNDVI-GT coincides with an increase in drought. In the arctic ecosystem, it may be related to a nonlinear response of photosynthesis to temperature, increase of hot extreme days and shrub expansion over grass-dominated tundra. Our results caution the use of results from interannual time scales to constrain the decadal response of plants to ongoing warming.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6018

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