Increasing sensitivity of dryland vegetation greenness to precipitation due to rising atmospheric CO2

Abstract Water availability plays a critical role in shaping terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in low- and mid-latitude regions. The sensitivity of vegetation growth to precipitation strongly regulates global vegetation dynamics and their responses to drought, yet sensitivity changes in response to climate change remain poorly understood. Here we use long-term satellite observations combined with a dynamic statistical learning approach to examine changes in the sensitivity of vegetation greenness to precipitation over the past four decades. We observe a robust increase in precipitation sensitivity (0.624% yr −1 ) for drylands, and a decrease (−0.618% yr −1 ) for wet regions. Using model simulations, we show…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 1854945, DE-AC02-05CH11231
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: -AC02-05CH11231, 05CH11231, DE-SC0021023, -SC0021023, Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231, AC02-05CH11231, 17-THP17-0036, DE-AC02, DE-AC02-05CH11231, DE-AC02-
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  Awards: DE-AC02-05CH11231, 17-THP17-0036, NNH10AN681, NNX10AG01A
• PU
  Peking University
• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China-Yunnan Joint Fund

  Award: 42141005
• OR
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  Award: DE-AC02-05CH11231