Future functioning will be dependent on water availability. Several "hot spot regions" were found by a team of scientists using simulations from climate models. The Amazon and western Russia are included. It's important to point out healthy regions as they are vital for society as they provide a number of services, such as food and water security.
Plants are affected by climate change. Global warming has led to an increase in energy availability across the globe, but trends for regional water availability are less certain in the future.
A group of researchers from Germany, the Netherlands and Australia studied how the simultaneous changes in energy and water availability affect vegetation functioning across the globe. They used state-of-the-art Earth system models to analyze future climate simulations. Changes in energy and waterlimitation of the global vegetation were calculated. Dr. Jasper Denissen is the first author of the study.
Plants need enough energy from the sun and water from the soil. This allows the vegetation to grow and cool down. During photosynthesis, small openings on the leaf surface open up to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Water from inside the leaves is absorbed into the atmosphere through the stomata. It's important to cool down during heat waves. It can help to reduce heat- related deaths.
The dependence on water is projected to change. Many regions that used to be energy- limited are now water limited. An additional 6 million km2 of our land will become water-limited by the year 2200. This effect can be seen in space as well as in time. Almost half of the area will see the duration of water limitation increase.
Dr. René Orth is one of the lead authors of the study. The functioning of vegetation could be affected by this. The need to understand the response of the environment to climate change is highlighted by this.
More information: Jasper M. C. Denissen et al, Widespread shift from ecosystem energy to water limitation with climate change, Nature Climate Change (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01403-8 Journal information: Nature Climate Change
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