articleNature CommunicationsFeb 21, 2022GOLD OA

Atmospheric dryness reduces photosynthesis along a large range of soil water deficits

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines · +16 more institutions

PubMed
Indexed incrossrefdoajpubmed

Abstract

Both low soil water content (SWC) and high atmospheric dryness (vapor pressure deficit, VPD) can negatively affect terrestrial gross primary production (GPP). The sensitivity of GPP to soil versus atmospheric dryness is difficult to disentangle, however, because of their covariation. Using global eddy-covariance observations, here we show that a decrease in SWC is not universally associated with GPP reduction. GPP increases in response to decreasing SWC when SWC is high and decreases only when SWC is below a threshold. By contrast, the sensitivity of GPP to an increase of VPD is always negative across the full SWC range. We further find canopy conductance decreases with increasing VPD (irrespective of SWC),…

No related works found for this paper.

Funding