Surging compound drought-heatwaves underrated in global soils

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fan, Xingwang; Zhang, Yunlin; Shi, Kun; Peng, Jian; Liu, Yongwei; Zhou, Yongqiang; Liu, Yuanbo; Zhu, Qing; Song, Chunqiao; Wan, Rongrong; Zhao, Xiaosong; Woolway, R. Iestyn
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, CAS; Helmholtz Association; Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ); Leipzig University; Bangor University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-10199
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2410294121
• 发表日期: 2024-10-15
• 关键词: increase

摘要

Compound drought-heatwaves (CDHWs) accelerate the warming and drying of soils, triggering soil compound drought-heatwaves (SCDHWs) that jeopardize the health of soil ecosystems. Nevertheless, the behavior of these events worldwide and their responses to climatic warming are underexplored. Here, we show a global escalation in the frequency, duration, peak intensity, and severity of SCDHWs, as well as an increase in affected land area, from 1980 to 2023. The increasing trends, which are particularly prominent since the early 2000 s, and projected to persist throughout this century, are dominated by summertime SCDHWs and enhanced by El Ni & ntilde;o. Intensive soil warming as well as climatologically lower soil temperatures compared to air temperatures lead to localized hotspots of escalating SCDHW severity in northern high latitudes, while prolonged duration causes such hotspots in northern South America. Transformation of natural ecosystems, particularly forests and wetlands, to cropland as well as forest degradation substantially enhance the strength of SCDHWs. Global SCDHWs consistently exhibit higher frequencies, longer durations, greater severities, and faster growth rates than CDHWs in all aspects from 1980 to 2023. They are undergoing a critical transition, with droughts replacing heatwaves as the primary constraint. We emphasize the significant intensification of SCDHWs in northern high latitudes as well as the prolonged duration of SCDHWs in the Southern Hemisphere, posing an underrated threat to achieving carbon neutrality and food security goals.