Gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts
Abstract Flash droughts, characterized by their rapid onset, substantially affect terrestrial ecosystems. However, the sensitivity of ecosystem productivity to the rapid development of flash droughts under varying vegetation conditions remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the ecosystem res...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02013-w |
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| _version_ | 1832594432746061824 |
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| author | Yangyang Jing Shuo Wang Pak Wai Chan Zong-Liang Yang |
| author_facet | Yangyang Jing Shuo Wang Pak Wai Chan Zong-Liang Yang |
| author_sort | Yangyang Jing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Flash droughts, characterized by their rapid onset, substantially affect terrestrial ecosystems. However, the sensitivity of ecosystem productivity to the rapid development of flash droughts under varying vegetation conditions remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the ecosystem response to the speed of flash drought onset for different plant functional types, considering the decline rate of root-zone soil moisture and standardized gross primary productivity anomaly. Our findings reveal a significant increase of approximately 10% in the proportion of 1- and 2-pentad (5 and 10 days) onset flash droughts leading to negative standardized gross primary productivity anomalies during 2001–2018. Furthermore, while standardized gross primary productivity anomalies decline at higher rates, they do not promptly respond on a shorter timescale to faster-onset flash droughts compared to slower-onset flash droughts. Vegetation types with shallower root systems exhibit higher sensitivities to faster-onset flash droughts, suggesting an escalating threat to terrestrial ecosystems in a changing climate. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b4e1e50c3202449cbb567adcc8c5f10b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-b4e1e50c3202449cbb567adcc8c5f10b2025-01-19T12:40:01ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-01-016111010.1038/s43247-025-02013-wGross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughtsYangyang Jing0Shuo Wang1Pak Wai Chan2Zong-Liang Yang3Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong ObservatoryDepartment of Geological Sciences, The John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at AustinAbstract Flash droughts, characterized by their rapid onset, substantially affect terrestrial ecosystems. However, the sensitivity of ecosystem productivity to the rapid development of flash droughts under varying vegetation conditions remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the ecosystem response to the speed of flash drought onset for different plant functional types, considering the decline rate of root-zone soil moisture and standardized gross primary productivity anomaly. Our findings reveal a significant increase of approximately 10% in the proportion of 1- and 2-pentad (5 and 10 days) onset flash droughts leading to negative standardized gross primary productivity anomalies during 2001–2018. Furthermore, while standardized gross primary productivity anomalies decline at higher rates, they do not promptly respond on a shorter timescale to faster-onset flash droughts compared to slower-onset flash droughts. Vegetation types with shallower root systems exhibit higher sensitivities to faster-onset flash droughts, suggesting an escalating threat to terrestrial ecosystems in a changing climate.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02013-w |
| spellingShingle | Yangyang Jing Shuo Wang Pak Wai Chan Zong-Liang Yang Gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts |
| title_full | Gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts |
| title_fullStr | Gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts |
| title_short | Gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts |
| title_sort | gross primary productivity is more sensitive to accelerated flash droughts |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02013-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yangyangjing grossprimaryproductivityismoresensitivetoacceleratedflashdroughts AT shuowang grossprimaryproductivityismoresensitivetoacceleratedflashdroughts AT pakwaichan grossprimaryproductivityismoresensitivetoacceleratedflashdroughts AT zongliangyang grossprimaryproductivityismoresensitivetoacceleratedflashdroughts |