Anthropogenic climate change has driven over 5 million km2 of drylands towards desertification
Woodwell Climate Research Center · University of Leicester · +2 more institutions
Abstract
Abstract Drylands cover 41% of the earth’s land surface and include 45% of the world’s agricultural land. These regions are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to anthropogenic climate and land use change and are under threat of desertification. Understanding the roles of anthropogenic climate change, which includes the CO 2 fertilization effect, and land use in driving desertification is essential for effective policy responses but remains poorly quantified with methodological differences resulting in large variations in attribution. Here, we perform the first observation-based attribution study of desertification that accounts for climate change, climate variability, CO 2 fertilization as well as both the…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 22.60
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 80
Authors
3Topics & keywords
- Desertification
- Climate change
- Land use
- Ecosystem services
- Environmental science
- Agriculture
- Land degradation
- Land use, land-use change and forestry