Response of Ecosystem Productivity to High Vapor Pressure Deficit and Low Soil Moisture: Lessons Learned From the Global Eddy-Covariance Observations

Xu, Shiqin; Gentine, Pierre; Li, Lingcheng; Wang, Lixin; Yu, Zhongbo; Dong, Ningpeng; Ju, Qin; Zhang, Yuliang

doi:10.1029/2022ef003252

Title: Response of Ecosystem Productivity to High Vapor Pressure Deficit and Low Soil Moisture: Lessons Learned From the Global Eddy-Covariance Observations

Journal Article · 24 August 2023 · Earth's Future

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2022ef003252 · OSTI ID:2212435

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^[6]; Ju, Qin ^[5]; Zhang, Yuliang ^[7]

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal (Saudi Arabia); Northwest Normal University (NWNU) Lanzhou (China); Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Lanzhou (China)
Columbia University, New York, NY (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Seattle, WA (United States)
Indiana University‐Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN (United States)
Hohai University, Nanjing (China)
Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing (China)
Hefei University of Technology (China)

Although there is mounting concern about how high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and low soil moisture (SM) affect ecosystem productivity, their relative importance is still under debate. Here, we comprehensively quantified the relative impacts of these two factors on ecosystem gross primary production (GPP) using observations from a global network of eddy-covariance towers and two approaches (sensitivity analysis and linear regression model). Both approaches agree that a higher percentage of sites experience GPP reduction from high VPD than from low SM over the growing season. However, the constraint of high VPD and low SM on GPP reduction is tightly linked with climates and plant functional types. Humid and mesic ecosystems including forests and grasslands are dominated by VPD, while the semi-arid and arid ecosystems including shrublands and savannas are dominated by SM. The varying dominant role of these two factors on GPP is closely related to plant stomatal behavior, as predicted by a stomatal conductance model. Additionally, we highlight the non-linear impact of SM on GPP during droughts and the possible underestimation of the SM effects for deep-rooted plants when only using surface-layer SM. Our results shed light on a better understanding of the impacts of VPD and SM on vegetation productivity, with important implications for modeling the response and feedback of ecosystem dynamics to current and future climates.

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Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Belt and Road Special Foundation; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Northwest Normal University (NWNU) Foundation; USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2212435

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA--178332

Journal Information:: Earth's Future, Journal Name: Earth's Future Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 11; ISSN 2328-4277

Publisher:: American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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