Cited by 1,037Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsFire effects on ecosystemsSoil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics

Effects of climate extremes on the terrestrial carbon cycle: concepts, processes and potential future impacts

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Frank, Dorothea, Reichstein, Markus, Bahn, Michael, Thonicke, Kirsten, Frank, David, Mahecha, Miguel D., Smith, Pete, van der Velde, Marijn +16 more·2015·Global Change Biology

Abstract

Extreme droughts, heat waves, frosts, precipitation, wind storms and other climate extremes may impact the structure, composition and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, and thus carbon cycling and its feedbacks to the climate system. Yet, the interconnected avenues through which climate extremes drive ecological and physiological processes and alter the carbon balance are poorly understood. Here, we review the literature on carbon cycle relevant responses of ecosystems to extreme climatic events. Given that impacts of climate extremes are considered disturbances, we assume the respective general disturbance‐induced mechanisms and processes to also operate in an extreme context. The paucity of well‐defined studies currently renders a quantitative meta‐analysis impossible, but permits us to develop a deductive framework for identifying the main mechanisms (and coupling thereof) through which climate extremes may act on the carbon cycle. We find that ecosystem responses can exceed the duration of the climate impacts via lagged effects on the carbon cycle. The expected regional impacts of future climate extremes will depend on changes in the probability and severity of their occurrence, on the compound effects and timing of different climate extremes, and on the vulnerability of each land‐cover type modulated by management. Although processes and sensitivities differ among biomes, based on expert opinion, we expect forests to exhibit the largest net effect of extremes due to their large carbon pools and fluxes, potentially large indirect and lagged impacts, and long recovery time to regain previous stocks. At the global scale, we presume that droughts have the strongest and most widespread effects on terrestrial carbon cycling. Comparing impacts of climate extremes identified via remote sensing vs. ground‐based observational case studies reveals that many regions in the (sub‐)tropics are understudied. Hence, regional investigations are needed to allow a global upscaling of the impacts of climate extremes on global carbon–climate feedbacks.

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  • The lack of evidence in individual studies is because these locations are less intensively studied, rather than an absence of impacts in these areas.

    “This imbalance suggests, in line with research measuring climate impacts using remote sensing 37 , that the lack of evidence in individual studies is because these locations are less intensively studied, rather than an absence of impacts in these areas.”

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Authors
Frank, D., Reichstein, M., Bahn, M., Thonicke, K., Frank, D., Mahecha, M. D., Smith, P., van der Velde, M., Vicca, S., Babst, F., Beer, C., Buchmann, N., Canadell, J. G., Ciais, P., Cramer, W., Ibrom, A., Miglietta, F., Poulter, B., Rammig, A., Seneviratne, S. I., Walz, A., Wattenbach, M., Zavala, M. A., & Zscheischler, J.
Affiliations
  • University of Bern (CH)
  • Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (DE)
  • Universität Innsbruck (AT)
  • Berlin Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (DE)
  • University of Aberdeen (GB)
  • Ecosystems Services and Management Program International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) A‐2361 Laxenburg Austria
  • University of Antwerp (BE)
  • University of Arizona (US)
  • Stockholm University (SE)
  • ETH Zurich (CH)
  • CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere (AU)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE) Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD Avignon Université Aix‐en‐Provence France
  • Technical University of Denmark (DK)
  • Fondazione Edmund Mach (IT)
  • IPSL – Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement CEA‐CNRS‐UVSQ 91191 Gif sur Yvette France
  • University of Potsdam (DE)
  • GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (DE)
  • Universidad de Alcalá (ES)
  • Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry 07745 Jena Germany
Corresponding author
Frank, Dorothea
Venue
Global Change Biology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2015-05-12
Volume
21
Issue
8
Pages
2861-2880
ISSN
  • 1354-1013 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2486
OpenAlex
W2165380978
Cited by
1,037
References
261
Citations by year
2026: 106 · 2025: 121 · 2024: 107 · 2023: 118 · 2022: 115 · 2021: 106 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 71 · 2018: 87 · 2017: 62 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 1
FWCI
5.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Global Change Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Aberdeen University Research Archive (Aberdeen University) (submittedVersion)
  • DORA WSL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Publication Database GFZ (GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Publication Database GFZ (GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • publish.UP (University of Potsdam) (submittedVersion)
  • mediaTUM – the media and publications repository of the Technical University Munich (Technical University Munich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Technical University of Denmark, DTU Orbit (Technical University of Denmark, DTU) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • ETH Zürich Research Collection (cc-by)
Funders
  • European Community's 7th framework programme (FP7-ENV-2008-1-226701)
  • Austrian Science Fund (FWF; P22214-B17)
  • Fund for Scientific Research - Flanders
  • Labex OT-Med (ANR-11-LABX-0061)
  • French Government (ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02)
  • Swiss National Science Foundation (P300P2_154543)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Fire effects on ecosystems
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Keywords
climate extremes, terrestrial carbon cycle, drought, heat waves, forest carbon, ecosystem disturbance, lagged effects, carbon-climate feedback, compound extreme events, forest recovery, biomes
MeSH terms
Ecosystem, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle

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