Pervasive drought legacies in forest ecosystems and their implications for carbon cycle models

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aab1833
• Publication Date: 2015-07-30T19:03:21Z
• Authors: W. R. L. Anderegg; C. Schwalm; F. Biondi; J. J. Camarero; G. Koch; M. Litvak; K. Ogle; J. D. Shaw; E. Shevliakova; A. P. Williams; A. Wolf; E. Ziaco; S. Pacala
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 550; General Science & Technology; forest ecosystems; Climate Change; drought; Forests; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; United States; 6. Clean water; Carbon Cycle; Droughts; Trees; Climate Action; Europe; climate change; Theoretical; Models; 13. Climate action; carbon cycle

Drought effects on carbon cycling

The response of forest ecosystems to drought is increasingly important in the context of a warming climate. Anderegg et al. studied a tree-ring database of 1338 forest sites from around the globe. They found that forests exhibit a drought “legacy effect” with 3 to 4 years' reduced growth following drought. During this postdrought delay, forests will be less able to act as a sink for carbon. Incorporating forest legacy effects into Earth system models will provide more accurate predictions of the effects of drought on the global carbon cycle.

Science , this issue p. 528