Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity

Shilong Piao; Huijuan Nan; Chris Huntingford; Philippe Ciais; Pierre Friedlingstein; Stephen Sitch; Shushi Peng; Anders Ahlström; Josep G. Canadell; Nan Cong; Sam Levis; Peter E. Levy; Lingli Liu; Mark R. Lomas; Jiafu Mao; Ranga B. Myneni; Philippe Peylin; Ben Poulter; Xiaoying Shi; Guodong Yin; Nicolas Viovy; Tao Wang; Xuhui Wang; Soenke Zaehle; Ning Zeng; Zhenzhong Zeng; Anping Chen

doi:10.1038/ncomms6018

Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity

Shilong Piao
, Huijuan Nan
, Chris Huntingford
, Philippe Ciais
, Pierre Friedlingstein
, Stephen Sitch
, Shushi Peng
, Anders Ahlström
, Josep G. Canadell
, Nan Cong
, Sam Levis
, Peter E. Levy
, Lingli Liu
, Mark R. Lomas
, Jiafu Mao
, Ranga B. Myneni
, Philippe Peylin
, Ben Poulter
, Xiaoying Shi
, Guodong Yin

Nicolas Viovy, Tao Wang, Xuhui Wang, Soenke Zaehle, Ning Zeng, Zhenzhong Zeng, Anping Chen

Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tsinghua University
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Université Versailles-Saint Quentin
University of Exeter
Lund University
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The University of Sheffield
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Boston University
Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
University of Maryland
Princeton University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a proxy of vegetation productivity, is known to be correlated with temperature in northern ecosystems. This relationship, however, may change over time following alternations in other environmental factors. Here we show that above 30°N, the strength of the relationship between the interannual variability of growing season NDVI and temperature (partial correlation coefficient R_NDVI-GT) declined substantially between 1982 and 2011. This decrease in R_NDVI-GT is mainly observed in temperate and arctic ecosystems, and is also partly reproduced by process-based ecosystem model results. In the temperate ecosystem, the decrease in R_NDVI-GT coincides with an increase in drought. In the arctic ecosystem, it may be related to a nonlinear response of photosynthesis to temperature, increase of hot extreme days and shrub expansion over grass-dominated tundra. Our results caution the use of results from interannual time scales to constrain the decadal response of plants to ongoing warming.

Original language	English
Article number	5018
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6018
Publication status	Published - 16 Oct 2014
Externally published	Yes

Access to Document

10.1038/ncomms6018

Cite this

Piao, S., Nan, H., Huntingford, C., Ciais, P., Friedlingstein, P., Sitch, S., Peng, S., Ahlström, A., Canadell, J. G., Cong, N., Levis, S., Levy, P. E., Liu, L., Lomas, M. R., Mao, J., Myneni, R. B., Peylin, P., Poulter, B., Shi, X., ... Chen, A. (2014). Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity. Nature Communications, 5, Article 5018. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6018

@article{348ccdb9738d45e8b9179901b70dad27,

title = "Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity",

abstract = "Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a proxy of vegetation productivity, is known to be correlated with temperature in northern ecosystems. This relationship, however, may change over time following alternations in other environmental factors. Here we show that above 30°N, the strength of the relationship between the interannual variability of growing season NDVI and temperature (partial correlation coefficient RNDVI-GT) declined substantially between 1982 and 2011. This decrease in RNDVI-GT is mainly observed in temperate and arctic ecosystems, and is also partly reproduced by process-based ecosystem model results. In the temperate ecosystem, the decrease in RNDVI-GT coincides with an increase in drought. In the arctic ecosystem, it may be related to a nonlinear response of photosynthesis to temperature, increase of hot extreme days and shrub expansion over grass-dominated tundra. Our results caution the use of results from interannual time scales to constrain the decadal response of plants to ongoing warming.",

author = "Shilong Piao and Huijuan Nan and Chris Huntingford and Philippe Ciais and Pierre Friedlingstein and Stephen Sitch and Shushi Peng and Anders Ahlstr{\"o}m and Canadell, \{Josep G.\} and Nan Cong and Sam Levis and Levy, \{Peter E.\} and Lingli Liu and Lomas, \{Mark R.\} and Jiafu Mao and Myneni, \{Ranga B.\} and Philippe Peylin and Ben Poulter and Xiaoying Shi and Guodong Yin and Nicolas Viovy and Tao Wang and Xuhui Wang and Soenke Zaehle and Ning Zeng and Zhenzhong Zeng and Anping Chen",

year = "2014",

month = oct,

day = "16",

doi = "10.1038/ncomms6018",

language = "English",

volume = "5",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

}

Piao, S, Nan, H, Huntingford, C, Ciais, P, Friedlingstein, P, Sitch, S, Peng, S, Ahlström, A, Canadell, JG, Cong, N, Levis, S, Levy, PE, Liu, L, Lomas, MR, Mao, J, Myneni, RB, Peylin, P, Poulter, B, Shi, X, Yin, G, Viovy, N, Wang, T, Wang, X, Zaehle, S, Zeng, N, Zeng, Z & Chen, A 2014, 'Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity', Nature Communications, vol. 5, 5018. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6018

TY - JOUR

T1 - Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity

AU - Piao, Shilong

AU - Nan, Huijuan

AU - Huntingford, Chris

AU - Ciais, Philippe

AU - Friedlingstein, Pierre

AU - Sitch, Stephen

AU - Peng, Shushi

AU - Ahlström, Anders

AU - Canadell, Josep G.

AU - Cong, Nan

AU - Levis, Sam

AU - Levy, Peter E.

AU - Liu, Lingli

AU - Lomas, Mark R.

AU - Mao, Jiafu

AU - Myneni, Ranga B.

AU - Peylin, Philippe

AU - Poulter, Ben

AU - Shi, Xiaoying

AU - Yin, Guodong

AU - Viovy, Nicolas

AU - Wang, Tao

AU - Wang, Xuhui

AU - Zaehle, Soenke

AU - Zeng, Ning

AU - Zeng, Zhenzhong

AU - Chen, Anping

PY - 2014/10/16

Y1 - 2014/10/16

N2 - Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a proxy of vegetation productivity, is known to be correlated with temperature in northern ecosystems. This relationship, however, may change over time following alternations in other environmental factors. Here we show that above 30°N, the strength of the relationship between the interannual variability of growing season NDVI and temperature (partial correlation coefficient RNDVI-GT) declined substantially between 1982 and 2011. This decrease in RNDVI-GT is mainly observed in temperate and arctic ecosystems, and is also partly reproduced by process-based ecosystem model results. In the temperate ecosystem, the decrease in RNDVI-GT coincides with an increase in drought. In the arctic ecosystem, it may be related to a nonlinear response of photosynthesis to temperature, increase of hot extreme days and shrub expansion over grass-dominated tundra. Our results caution the use of results from interannual time scales to constrain the decadal response of plants to ongoing warming.

AB - Satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a proxy of vegetation productivity, is known to be correlated with temperature in northern ecosystems. This relationship, however, may change over time following alternations in other environmental factors. Here we show that above 30°N, the strength of the relationship between the interannual variability of growing season NDVI and temperature (partial correlation coefficient RNDVI-GT) declined substantially between 1982 and 2011. This decrease in RNDVI-GT is mainly observed in temperate and arctic ecosystems, and is also partly reproduced by process-based ecosystem model results. In the temperate ecosystem, the decrease in RNDVI-GT coincides with an increase in drought. In the arctic ecosystem, it may be related to a nonlinear response of photosynthesis to temperature, increase of hot extreme days and shrub expansion over grass-dominated tundra. Our results caution the use of results from interannual time scales to constrain the decadal response of plants to ongoing warming.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84927133050

U2 - 10.1038/ncomms6018

DO - 10.1038/ncomms6018

M3 - Article

C2 - 25318638

AN - SCOPUS:84927133050

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 5

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 5018

ER -

Evidence for a weakening relationship between interannual temperature variability and northern vegetation activity

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this