Soil-derived compound drought-hot events exert stronger constraints on global vegetation restoration than meteorological sources
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The frequency and intensity of compound drought‑hot events have surged under climate warming, but the distinct roles of meteorological (MetDH) and soil‑derived (SoilDH) stress in shaping vegetation response trajectories remain unknown. Here we show that SoilDH causes a 38% greater maximum loss and an 82% longer recovery time than MetDH, despite having a shorter response window. The resistance and recovery disparities between SoilDH and MetDH are amplified by higher soil organic carbon content but dampened by higher gross primary productivity, whereas the maximum loss disparity is governed by climatic background and anthropogenic activities. Critically, this difference exhibits non-linear intensification when the human activity index exceeds 0.10 or the vapor pressure deficit exceeds 0.26 kPa, indicating that human-induced pressure and atmospheric drought exacerbate the vulnerability of ecosystems to soil‑derived stress. This divergence is most pronounced in croplands and arid regions, where biological buffering is limited. Our findings imply that assessments based solely on MetDH underestimate the ecological costs of SoilDH and overestimate recovery potential, distorting ecological damage evaluation. Future risk assessments must explicitly account for stress‑source divergence to avoid misguided adaptation strategies.
Source: Research Square
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204789604