Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River

Abstract The upper reaches of the Yangtze River observed record‐breaking droughts, heatwaves, and forest fires in rapid sequence during the 2022 summer, challenging the established mechanistic understanding. We here explained the compound event through a trans‐seasonal vegetation‐land‐atmosphere int...

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Main Authors: Ning An, Yang Chen, Zhen Liao, Jianying Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114165
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author Ning An
Yang Chen
Zhen Liao
Jianying Li
author_facet Ning An
Yang Chen
Zhen Liao
Jianying Li
author_sort Ning An
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The upper reaches of the Yangtze River observed record‐breaking droughts, heatwaves, and forest fires in rapid sequence during the 2022 summer, challenging the established mechanistic understanding. We here explained the compound event through a trans‐seasonal vegetation‐land‐atmosphere interacting perspective. The wetter spring‐sunnier summer pattern resulted in record high loads of vegetation and enhanced transpiration. This led to progressive depletion of soil moisture to a critical threshold that shifted the originally weak response of air temperature into hypersensitive mode. The resulting rapid rise of air temperature amplified atmospheric evaporative demand to an unprecedentedly high level, which in turn exacerbated the drying‐out of soil and vegetation. These favorable weather and fuel factors combined to cause unseasonal forest fires of unprecedented burning intensity. Our results remind of preparedness against drought‐heat‐fire compounding hazards even in humid regions under opportune configurations between ecological and meteorological conditions.
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publishDate 2025-05-01
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-8e4a4a0d3a5943668c3abc017052cf502025-08-20T02:30:59ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-05-015210n/an/a10.1029/2024GL114165Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze RiverNing An0Yang Chen1Zhen Liao2Jianying Li3State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Meteorological Science and Technology Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing People's Republic of ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Meteorological Science and Technology Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing People's Republic of ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Meteorological Science and Technology Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing People's Republic of ChinaState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather Meteorological Science and Technology Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences Beijing People's Republic of ChinaAbstract The upper reaches of the Yangtze River observed record‐breaking droughts, heatwaves, and forest fires in rapid sequence during the 2022 summer, challenging the established mechanistic understanding. We here explained the compound event through a trans‐seasonal vegetation‐land‐atmosphere interacting perspective. The wetter spring‐sunnier summer pattern resulted in record high loads of vegetation and enhanced transpiration. This led to progressive depletion of soil moisture to a critical threshold that shifted the originally weak response of air temperature into hypersensitive mode. The resulting rapid rise of air temperature amplified atmospheric evaporative demand to an unprecedentedly high level, which in turn exacerbated the drying‐out of soil and vegetation. These favorable weather and fuel factors combined to cause unseasonal forest fires of unprecedented burning intensity. Our results remind of preparedness against drought‐heat‐fire compounding hazards even in humid regions under opportune configurations between ecological and meteorological conditions.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114165heatwavesdroughtsland‐atmosphere interactionsnon‐linear granger‐causalitycompound events
spellingShingle Ning An
Yang Chen
Zhen Liao
Jianying Li
Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River
Geophysical Research Letters
heatwaves
droughts
land‐atmosphere interactions
non‐linear granger‐causality
compound events
title Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River
title_full Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River
title_fullStr Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River
title_full_unstemmed Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River
title_short Trans‐Seasonal Vegetation‐Land‐Atmosphere Interactions Explained Record‐Breaking Cascading Extremes in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River
title_sort trans seasonal vegetation land atmosphere interactions explained record breaking cascading extremes in the upper reaches of the yangtze river
topic heatwaves
droughts
land‐atmosphere interactions
non‐linear granger‐causality
compound events
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114165
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AT zhenliao transseasonalvegetationlandatmosphereinteractionsexplainedrecordbreakingcascadingextremesintheupperreachesoftheyangtzeriver
AT jianyingli transseasonalvegetationlandatmosphereinteractionsexplainedrecordbreakingcascadingextremesintheupperreachesoftheyangtzeriver