Large live biomass carbon losses from droughts in the northern temperate ecosystems during 2016-2022

Northern ecosystems (≥ 30° N) have been accumulating vegetation biomass carbon in recent decades, but increasing droughts and wildfires threaten this carbon sink. Here, we analyse annual changes in live vegetation biomass in northern ecosystems using low-frequency microwave satellite observations at 25 km spatial resolution from 2010 to 2022. We find that live biomass carbon stocks have undergone a reversal from a positive to a negative trend during the study period with 2016 marking the turning point. During 2016-2022, live biomass carbon stocks decreased at a rate of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.20</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.26</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.11</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> PgC yr<sup>-1</sup> across northern ecosystems, primarily in temperate biomes ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.26</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.33</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.17</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> PgC yr<sup>-1</sup>). The annual mean gross loss of 4% of live biomass carbon in this region during 2016-2022 reflects high interannual variability, with significant losses associated with droughts and a further drop of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.60</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.75</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.47</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> PgC in the very dry year of 2022. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of live biomass carbon stocks to emerging climate-induced disturbances in northern ecosystems, challenging the sustainability of the current large terrestrial carbon sink in this key region for the global carbon balance.

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Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-06-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59999-2
Citations
16
Primary Topic
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
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article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
17.69

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article

Large live biomass carbon losses from droughts in the northern temperate ecosystems during 2016-2022

Shengli Tao, Martin Brandt, Rasmus Fensholt, Hui Yang et al.
16 citations
Nature Communications
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
17.69
article

Large live biomass carbon losses from droughts in the northern temperate ecosystems during 2016-2022

Shengli Tao, Martin Brandt, Rasmus Fensholt, Hui Yang, Xiangzhuo Liu, Zanpin Xing, Jean‐Pierre Wigneron, Aurelien De Truchis, Clément Albergel, Yuanwei Qin, Ana Bastos, Jérôme Chave, Philippe Maisongrande, Josep G. Canadell, Tianxiang Cui, Stephen A. Sitch, Philippe Ciais, Mengjia Wang, Frédéric Frappart, Lei Fan, Lei He, Huan Wang, Xiaojun Li, Ling Yu, Xiangming Xiao, Yuqing Liu, Yi Zheng
article en
16 citations

Abstract

Northern ecosystems (≥ 30° N) have been accumulating vegetation biomass carbon in recent decades, but increasing droughts and wildfires threaten this carbon sink. Here, we analyse annual changes in live vegetation biomass in northern ecosystems using low-frequency microwave satellite observations at 25 km spatial resolution from 2010 to 2022. We find that live biomass carbon stocks have undergone a reversal from a positive to a negative trend during the study period with 2016 marking the turning point. During 2016-2022, live biomass carbon stocks decreased at a rate of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.20</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.26</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.11</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> PgC yr<sup>-1</sup> across northern ecosystems, primarily in temperate biomes ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.26</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.33</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.17</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> PgC yr<sup>-1</sup>). The annual mean gross loss of 4% of live biomass carbon in this region during 2016-2022 reflects high interannual variability, with significant losses associated with droughts and a further drop of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.60</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.75</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo> <mml:mi>0.47</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> PgC in the very dry year of 2022. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of live biomass carbon stocks to emerging climate-induced disturbances in northern ecosystems, challenging the sustainability of the current large terrestrial carbon sink in this key region for the global carbon balance.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
University of Copenhagen (DK), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Southwest University (CN), Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Hohai University (CN), Nanjing Forestry University (CN), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR), Peking University (CN), Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse (FR), University of Exeter (GB), Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Centre National d'Études Spatiales (FR), Zhengzhou University (CN), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie (FR), École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques de Bordeaux-Aquitaine (FR), Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble (FR), European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (GB), Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (CN), Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (CN), Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (FR), CEA Paris-Saclay (FR), Unité mixte de recherche Œnologie (FR), Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (FR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Southwest Jiaotong University (CN), University of Oklahoma (US), Leipzig University (DE)
National Science Foundation, European Space Agency, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
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Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
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