Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, China

<p>Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) is pivotal for understanding carbon–water cycle interplay. Current research seldom addresses how WUE might change under future elevated CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> concentrations, limiting our unde...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: S. Chen, Y. Guo, Y.-P. Xu, L. Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2024-11-01
Series:Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
Online Access:https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/4989/2024/hess-28-4989-2024.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850158971020640256
author S. Chen
Y. Guo
Y.-P. Xu
L. Wang
author_facet S. Chen
Y. Guo
Y.-P. Xu
L. Wang
author_sort S. Chen
collection DOAJ
description <p>Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) is pivotal for understanding carbon–water cycle interplay. Current research seldom addresses how WUE might change under future elevated CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> concentrations, limiting our understanding of regional ecohydrological effects. We present a land–atmosphere attribution framework for WUE in the Yellow River basin (YRB), integrating the Budyko model with global climate models (GCMs) to quantify the impacts of climate and underlying surface changes induced by CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>. Additionally, we further quantitatively decoupled the direct and secondary impacts of CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> radiative and biogeochemical effects. Attribution results indicate that WUE in the YRB is projected to increase by 0.36–0.84 gC kg<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O in the future, with climate change being the predominant factor (relative contribution rate of 77.9 %–101.4 %). However, as carbon emissions intensify, the relative importance of land surface changes becomes increasingly important (respective contribution rates of <span class="inline-formula">−</span>1.4 %, 14.9 %, 16.9 %, and 22.1 % in SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585). Typically, WUE is considered a reflection of an ecosystem's adaptability to water stress. Thus, we analyzed the response of WUE under different scenarios and periods and various drought conditions. The results show a distinct “two-stage” response pattern of WUE to drought in the YRB, where WUE increases under moderate–severe drought conditions but decreases as drought intensifies across most areas. Furthermore, GCM projections suggest that plant adaptability to water stress may improve under higher-carbon-emission scenarios. Our findings enhance the understanding of regional ecohydrological processes and provide insights for future predictions of drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems.</p>
format Article
id doaj-art-0ef6b05ae0b942e1b5bfe00794360223
institution OA Journals
issn 1027-5606
1607-7938
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Copernicus Publications
record_format Article
series Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
spelling doaj-art-0ef6b05ae0b942e1b5bfe007943602232025-08-20T02:23:44ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382024-11-01284989500910.5194/hess-28-4989-2024Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, ChinaS. Chen0Y. Guo1Y.-P. Xu2L. Wang3Institute of Water Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaInstitute of Water Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaInstitute of Water Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaInstitute of Water Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China<p>Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) is pivotal for understanding carbon–water cycle interplay. Current research seldom addresses how WUE might change under future elevated CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> concentrations, limiting our understanding of regional ecohydrological effects. We present a land–atmosphere attribution framework for WUE in the Yellow River basin (YRB), integrating the Budyko model with global climate models (GCMs) to quantify the impacts of climate and underlying surface changes induced by CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>. Additionally, we further quantitatively decoupled the direct and secondary impacts of CO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> radiative and biogeochemical effects. Attribution results indicate that WUE in the YRB is projected to increase by 0.36–0.84 gC kg<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>H<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>O in the future, with climate change being the predominant factor (relative contribution rate of 77.9 %–101.4 %). However, as carbon emissions intensify, the relative importance of land surface changes becomes increasingly important (respective contribution rates of <span class="inline-formula">−</span>1.4 %, 14.9 %, 16.9 %, and 22.1 % in SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585). Typically, WUE is considered a reflection of an ecosystem's adaptability to water stress. Thus, we analyzed the response of WUE under different scenarios and periods and various drought conditions. The results show a distinct “two-stage” response pattern of WUE to drought in the YRB, where WUE increases under moderate–severe drought conditions but decreases as drought intensifies across most areas. Furthermore, GCM projections suggest that plant adaptability to water stress may improve under higher-carbon-emission scenarios. Our findings enhance the understanding of regional ecohydrological processes and provide insights for future predictions of drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems.</p>https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/4989/2024/hess-28-4989-2024.pdf
spellingShingle S. Chen
Y. Guo
Y.-P. Xu
L. Wang
Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, China
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
title Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, China
title_full Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, China
title_fullStr Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, China
title_full_unstemmed Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, China
title_short Future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to CO<sub>2</sub> effects in the Yellow River Basin, China
title_sort future response of ecosystem water use efficiency to co sub 2 sub effects in the yellow river basin china
url https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/4989/2024/hess-28-4989-2024.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT schen futureresponseofecosystemwateruseefficiencytocosub2subeffectsintheyellowriverbasinchina
AT yguo futureresponseofecosystemwateruseefficiencytocosub2subeffectsintheyellowriverbasinchina
AT ypxu futureresponseofecosystemwateruseefficiencytocosub2subeffectsintheyellowriverbasinchina
AT lwang futureresponseofecosystemwateruseefficiencytocosub2subeffectsintheyellowriverbasinchina