Land Cover Changes Cause Increased Losses during Photosynthetic Extremes

TL;DR

This study uses a global Earth system model to analyze how land cover changes and CO2 emissions intensify the frequency and severity of photosynthetic extremes, mainly driven by soil moisture variability and climate factors.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how land cover changes and CO2 emissions jointly affect GPP extremes and ecosystem carbon absorption under climate change.

Findings

Negative GPP extremes are increasing faster than positive ones.

Soil moisture variability is the main driver of GPP extremes.

Water stress, temperature anomalies, and fires contribute to GPP extremes.

Abstract

Human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, primarily from fossil fuel combustion and changes in land use and land cover (LULCC), are a key contributor to climate change. As the climate warms, extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires have become more frequent and are projected to intensify throughout the 21st century. These escalating extremes are likely to further disrupt vegetation productivity, known as gross primary production (GPP), and reduce the ecosystem's capacity to absorb carbon. In this study, we employ a global Earth system model to assess how (a) CO2 emissions alone and (b) CO2 combined with LULCC influence the severity, frequency, and duration of GPP extremes. Our results show that negative GPP extremes periods of unexpectedly low carbon uptake are increasing more rapidly than positive extremes, especially under LULCC scenarios. The primary climate factor driving these extremes is soil moisture variability, which is influenced by fluctuations in both precipitation and temperature. The delayed responses of GPP to different climate drivers depend on the specific driver and geographical region. Overall, the highest incidence of GPP extremes arises from the combined influence of water stress, temperature anomalies, and fire-related disturbances.