Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.catena.2026.110273 |
| Title (Primary) | Widespread acceleration of drought propagation from meteorological to ecological systems in the northern hemisphere under climate warming |
| Author | Li, Y.; Huang, S.; Yuan, H.; Xu, C.-Y.; Li, J.; Leng, G.; Zheng, X.; Peng, J.
|
| Source Titel | Catena |
| Year | 2026 |
| Department | RS |
| Volume | 271 |
| Page From | art. 110273 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Supplements | Supplement 1 |
| Keywords | Global warming; Drought propagation time; Meteorological drought; Ecological drought; Climate change; Northern hemisphere ecosystems |
| Abstract | In recent decades, with the intensification of global warming, drought risks facing vegetation ecosystems have been continuously increasing, posing severe threats to ecosystem health and functioning. Against this backdrop, whether the propagation from meteorological to ecological drought is accelerating remains an unresolved question. This study utilizes multiple vegetation satellite remote sensing datasets and meteorological data from 1982 to 2022 to investigate the propagation process of meteorological drought to ecological drought in Northern Hemisphere vegetation ecosystems (NHE) during the summer, as well as its driving mechanisms. The results reveal a distinct spatial pattern of shortening drought propagation time (DPT, weekly scale) from north to south, predominantly controlled by soil moisture, radiation, and vegetation types. Temporally, over the past four decades, the average DPT in the NHE has significantly decreased by 3.12, 2.31, and 1.27 weeks under moderate, severe, and extreme drought scenarios, respectively. Nearly 60% of the NHE exhibit accelerating propagation, particularly in cropland and shrub located in the central-western United States, Spain, Ukraine, southeastern Russia, Mongolian Plateau and the northeastern China, implying declining mean resistance of the ecosystems in these areas to drought. The accelerating drought propagation is mainly induced by warming, followed by an increase in radiation and a declining soil moisture. The observed accelerating drought propagation from the atmosphere to ecosystem highlights the necessity of effective actions to improve climate change resilience of the NHE. |
| Li, Y., Huang, S., Yuan, H., Xu, C.-Y., Li, J., Leng, G., Zheng, X., Peng, J. (2026): Widespread acceleration of drought propagation from meteorological to ecological systems in the northern hemisphere under climate warming Catena 271 , art. 110273 10.1016/j.catena.2026.110273 |
|