Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Forest conservation and carbon sequestration efforts are on the rise, yet the long‐term stability of these efforts under a changing climate remains unknown. We generate nearly three decades of remotely sensed canopy water content throughout California, which we use to determine patterns of drought stress. Linking these patterns of drought stress with meteorological variables enables us to quantify spatially explicit biophysical drought resistance in terms of magnitude and duration. These maps reveal significant spatial heterogeneity in drought resistance and demonstrate that almost all forests have less resistance to severe, persistent droughts. By identifying the spatial patterning of biophysical drought resistance, we quantify an important component of long‐term ecosystem stability that can be used for forest conservation, management, and policy decisions.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2018gl081108
Authors: P. G. Brodrick, L. D. L. Anderegg, G. P. Asner
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Climate action
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, W. M. Keck Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Cargill Foundation, Avatar Alliance Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
OpenAlex ID: W2911532507