Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central Asia

The onset of severe drought is usually accompanied by anomalies in soil moisture (SM) and climatic factors such as temperature (Tem), solar radiation (Srad), and vapor pressure defict (VPD). These factors are critical for gross primary productivity (GPP) as they directly influence photosynthesis. Ce...

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Main Authors: Tao Yu, Guli Jiapaer, Anming Bao, Ye Yuan, Jiayu Bao, Tim Van de Voorde
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Ecological Informatics
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125000858
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author Tao Yu
Guli Jiapaer
Anming Bao
Ye Yuan
Jiayu Bao
Tim Van de Voorde
author_facet Tao Yu
Guli Jiapaer
Anming Bao
Ye Yuan
Jiayu Bao
Tim Van de Voorde
author_sort Tao Yu
collection DOAJ
description The onset of severe drought is usually accompanied by anomalies in soil moisture (SM) and climatic factors such as temperature (Tem), solar radiation (Srad), and vapor pressure defict (VPD). These factors are critical for gross primary productivity (GPP) as they directly influence photosynthesis. Central Asia (CA), characterized by a dry climate and water scarcity, frequently experiences severe droughts, leading to a decrease in GPP. However, how anomalies in SM and climatic factors affect GPP in CA, and the dominant factors causing the decline in GPP during severe droughts, remain unclear. Here we first identified severe droughts in CA from 2000 to 2021 using the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) and then investigated the effects of anomalies in SM, Tem, Srad, and VPD on solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and GPP under severe drought conditions by light-use efficiency P-model and the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. The results show that the severe droughts in CA from 2000 to 2021 occurred in 2008 and 2021, with scPDSI values of −3.26 and − 3.94, respectively. In 2008 and 2021, SIF and GPP showed significant decreases: the area of negative anomalies in SIF and GPP was more than 70 % of CA. The spatial pattern of SM anomalies is consistent with that of SIF and GPP. P-model simulations indicate that SM deficits dominated the decline in GPP in 2008 and 2021, affecting regions covering 31 % and 17 % of CA, respectively, with GPP reductions exceeding 5 %. RF predictions also indicated that during severe drought, SM had a significant effect on GPP, while Srad, Tem, and VPD had a slight effect on GPP.
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spelling doaj-art-d9ea3256117946d0a5df1a994c33b6bc2025-08-20T02:04:00ZengElsevierEcological Informatics1574-95412025-05-018610307610.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103076Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central AsiaTao Yu0Guli Jiapaer1Anming Bao2Ye Yuan3Jiayu Bao4Tim Van de Voorde5Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830011, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, BelgiumKey Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830011, China; Corresponding author at: Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urmgi 830011, China.Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830011, China; China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, CAS-HEC, Islamabad 45320, PakistanKey Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Key Laboratory of GIS & RS Application, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830011, ChinaFaculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, ChinaDepartment of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, BelgiumThe onset of severe drought is usually accompanied by anomalies in soil moisture (SM) and climatic factors such as temperature (Tem), solar radiation (Srad), and vapor pressure defict (VPD). These factors are critical for gross primary productivity (GPP) as they directly influence photosynthesis. Central Asia (CA), characterized by a dry climate and water scarcity, frequently experiences severe droughts, leading to a decrease in GPP. However, how anomalies in SM and climatic factors affect GPP in CA, and the dominant factors causing the decline in GPP during severe droughts, remain unclear. Here we first identified severe droughts in CA from 2000 to 2021 using the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) and then investigated the effects of anomalies in SM, Tem, Srad, and VPD on solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and GPP under severe drought conditions by light-use efficiency P-model and the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. The results show that the severe droughts in CA from 2000 to 2021 occurred in 2008 and 2021, with scPDSI values of −3.26 and − 3.94, respectively. In 2008 and 2021, SIF and GPP showed significant decreases: the area of negative anomalies in SIF and GPP was more than 70 % of CA. The spatial pattern of SM anomalies is consistent with that of SIF and GPP. P-model simulations indicate that SM deficits dominated the decline in GPP in 2008 and 2021, affecting regions covering 31 % and 17 % of CA, respectively, with GPP reductions exceeding 5 %. RF predictions also indicated that during severe drought, SM had a significant effect on GPP, while Srad, Tem, and VPD had a slight effect on GPP.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125000858Soil moistureDroughtGross primary productivityP-modelCentral Asia
spellingShingle Tao Yu
Guli Jiapaer
Anming Bao
Ye Yuan
Jiayu Bao
Tim Van de Voorde
Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central Asia
Ecological Informatics
Soil moisture
Drought
Gross primary productivity
P-model
Central Asia
title Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central Asia
title_full Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central Asia
title_fullStr Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central Asia
title_full_unstemmed Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central Asia
title_short Soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in Central Asia
title_sort soil moisture dominates gross primary productivity variation during severe droughts in central asia
topic Soil moisture
Drought
Gross primary productivity
P-model
Central Asia
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125000858
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