Vegetation growth in Northern Hemisphere stunted by water constraints in warming climate

A first-of-its-kind large-scale study of vegetation growth in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 30 years has found that vegetation is becoming increasingly water-limited as global temperatures increase.

The saguaro cactus of the Sonoran Desert in the Southwest United States. Photo: Lixin Wang

The results are significant since vegetation is one of the biggest factors when it comes to controlling water and carbon cycling across Earth, which influence global temperatures. The work was done by IUPUI and Indiana University Bloomington researchers Wenzhe Jiao, Lixin Wang and colleagues.

"Without water, living things struggle to survive, including plants," said Wang, senior author of the study and an ecohydrologist. "Changes in vegetation response to water availability can result in significant shifts of climate-carbon interaction."

Global temperature and the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide have been increasing.

These changes are expected to cause increased atmospheric water demand -- the amount of water transferred from soil and plants to the atmosphere -- and more frequent extreme hot days and droughts. All these factors indicate that vegetation growth may have suffered more water stress under a warming climate.

"However, quantifying the changes in vegetation constraints at large spatial and temporal scales is challenging," he said. To overcome this obstacle, the researchers used satellite remote sensing data and meteorology data covering large spatial scales from 1982 to 2015.

The scientists developed their own metrics to indicate water constraints and then tracked the changes in the metrics. They examined the relationship between vegetation growth and water deficit at each grid cell over the extratropical Northern Hemisphere -- 604,800 data points each year -- over more than 30 years. (National Science Foundation)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Unraveling the mysteries of trace elements in the oceans

Heroes and villains abound in the story of trace elements, which are found in exceedingly low amounts in the ocean. Elements such as iron or zinc, are critical to marine life and play a key role in regulating the global carbon cycle.

More than two hours of daily screen time linked to cognitive, behavioral problems in children born extremely preterm

Among 6- and 7-year-olds who were born extremely preterm — before the 28th week of pregnancy (...)

Strange Chemical on Venus May Come from Volcanoes

A mysterious whiff of an unstable chemical in the skies of Venus may not be a sign of life but the result of explosive volcanic eruptions, a new study finds.

Pickling Cucumbers Fused with Health Promoting Compound

Researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and North Carolina State University recently found that a stable, naturally occurring, health-promoting (...)

What is known about water may have just changed dramatically

Discovery may have strong impact, from water purification to drug manufacturing.

Eating disorder behaviors alter reward response in the brain

Researchers have found that eating disorder behaviors, such as binge-eating, alter the brain’s reward response process and food intake control circuitry, which can reinforce these behaviors.