A first-of-its-kind large-scale study of vegetation growth in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 30 years has found that vegetation is becoming increasingly water-limited as global temperatures increase.
A first-of-its-kind large-scale study of vegetation growth in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 30 years has found that vegetation is becoming increasingly water-limited as global temperatures increase.
The results are significant since vegetation is one of the biggest factors when it comes to controlling water and carbon cycling across Earth, which influences global temperatures. The work by IUPUI and Indiana University Bloomington researchers Wenzhe Jiao, Lixin Wang, Qing Chang and Honglang Wang was published in the journal Nature Communications on June 18.
"Without water, living things struggle to survive, including plants," said Lixin Wang, senior author of the study and an associate professor of earth sciences at the School of Science at IUPUI. His ecohydrology group led the study. "Changes in vegetation response to water availability can result in significant shifts of climate-carbon interaction."
Read more at: Indiana University
The degraded vegetation in the Horqin Sand Land in Inner Mongolia, China (Photo Credit: Lixin Wang, IUPUI)
