Article Contents
ARTICLE   Open Access     Cite

Soil moisture deficits amplify and prolong vegetation productivity losses under compound dry-hot extremes

    Show all affliationsShow less
More Information
  • DownLoad: Full size image
    1. Soil-driven dry-hot events cause deeper GPP loss (−1.115 g·C·m−2·day−1) and slower recovery (+2.238 days).

      Impacts of soil moisture deficits intensify over time, widening divergence from atmospheric-driven events.

      Soil moisture control strengthens with event severity, aridity, and future warming scenarios.

  • Compound dry-hot extremes have emerged as a major threat to terrestrial ecosystem productivity under climate change, yet their impacts are commonly interpreted through atmospheric conditions alone. Here we distinguish between compound meteorological dry-hot (CMDH) events, driven by atmospheric dryness and heat, and compound soil dry-hot (CSDH) events, in which soil moisture deficits coincide with heat, and assess their differential effects on global vegetation productivity. Integrating multiple gross primary productivity (GPP) datasets with climate variables, we quantify GPP loss and recovery time following CMDH and CSDH events. Globally, CSDH causes deeper productivity losses than CMDH, with a mean additional reduction of 1.115 g·C·m-2·day-1, and prolongs recovery by 2.238 days on average. These differences have intensified over recent decades, with CSDH-related GPP losses and recovery times diverging increasingly from CMDH. The dominance of soil-driven impacts is also shown to strengthen with event severity, climate aridity, and under future warming scenarios. Structural equation modeling and explainable machine learning further reveal a shift in controlling mechanisms from atmospheric demand under CMDH to soil moisture limitation under CSDH, explaining both deeper carbon losses and longer ecosystem memory. Our results demonstrate that soil-coupled compound dry-hot extremes exert a more persistent constraint on terrestrial productivity than atmospheric counterparts, highlighting soil moisture as a critical regulator of ecosystem resilience in a warming world.
  • 加载中
  • [1] Gui Y., Wang K., Huntingford C., et al. (2025). Vegetation greenness in 2024. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 6:255−257. DOI:10.1038/s43017-025-00656-z

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [2] Anav A., Friedlingstein P., Beer C., et al. (2015). Spatiotemporal patterns of terrestrial gross primary production: A review. Rev. Geophys. 53:785−818. DOI:10.1002/2015rg000483

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [3] Smith T., Traxl D. and Boers N. (2022). Empirical evidence for recent global shifts in vegetation resilience. Nat. Clim. Change 12:477−484. DOI:10.1038/s41558-022-01352-2

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [4] Beer C., Reichstein M., Tomelleri E., et al. (2010). Terrestrial gross carbon dioxide uptake: Global distribution and covariation with climate. Science 329:834−838. DOI:10.1126/science.1184984

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [5] Reichstein M., Bahn M., Ciais P., et al. (2013). Climate extremes and the carbon cycle. Nature 500:287−295. DOI:10.1038/nature12350

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [6] Huang S., Wang S., Wang C., et al. (2025). Differential sensitivities of three types of compound drought and heatwave events to human-induced climate change across the globe. Weather Clim. Extremes 50. DOI:10.1016/j.wace.2025.100836

    View in Article Google Scholar

    [7] AghaKouchak A., Chiang F., Huning L. S., et al. (2020). Climate extremes and compound hazards in a warming world. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 48:519−548. DOI:10.1146/annurev-earth-071719-055228

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [8] Bastos A., Ciais P., Friedlingstein P., et al. Direct and seasonal legacy effects of the 2018 heat wave and drought on European ecosystem productivity. Sci. Adv. 6:eaba2724. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aba2724

    View in Article Google Scholar

    [9] Yao Y., Fu B., Liu Y., et al. (2024). Compound hot–dry events greatly prolong the recovery time of dryland ecosystems. Natl. Sci. Rev. 11:nwae274. DOI:10.1093/nsr/nwae274

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [10] Yan W., Zhou J., Wang X., et al. (2025). Vegetation resistance to compound drought and heatwave events buffers the spatial shift velocities of vegetation vulnerability. Commun. Earth Environ. 6:320. DOI:10.1038/s43247-025-02298-x

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [11] Lin S., Chen X., Xia J., et al. (2025). Global vegetation production may decrease in this century due to rising atmospheric dryness. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 9:2279−2289. DOI:10.1038/s41559-025-02885-3

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [12] Tripathy K. P., Mukherjee S., Mishra A. K., et al. (2023). Climate change will accelerate the high-end risk of compound drought and heatwave events. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 120:e2219825120. DOI:10.1073/pnas.2219825120

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [13] Zscheischler J., Westra S., van den Hurk B. J. J. M., et al. (2018). Future climate risk from compound events. Nat. Clim. Change 8:469−477. DOI:10.1038/s41558-018-0156-3

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [14] Zscheischler J., Reichstein M., von Buttlar J., et al. (2014). Carbon cycle extremes during the 21st century in CMIP5 models: Future evolution and attribution to climatic drivers. Geophys. Res. Lett. 41:8853−8861. DOI:10.1002/2014gl062409

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [15] Zhou S., Williams A. P., Berg A. M., et al. (2019). Land–atmosphere feedbacks exacerbate concurrent soil drought and atmospheric aridity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 116:18848−18853. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1904955116

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [16] Zhang G., Zhang S., Wang H., et al. (2024). Biodiversity and wetting of climate alleviate vegetation vulnerability under compound drought‐hot extremes. Geophys. Res. Lett. 51:e2024GL108396. DOI:10.1029/2024gl108396

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [17] Li J., Zhang Y., Bevacqua E., et al. (2024). Future increase in compound soil drought-heat extremes exacerbated by vegetation greening. Nat. Commun. 15:10875. DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-55175-0

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [18] Piao S., Wang X., Park T., et al. (2019). Characteristics, drivers and feedbacks of global greening. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 1:14−27. DOI:10.1038/s43017-019-0001-x

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [19] Seneviratne S., Nicholls N., Easterling D., et al. (2012). Changes in climate extremes and their impacts on the natural physical environment. Field C.B., Barros V., Stocker T.F., Qin D. (eds). Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation: Special report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. (Cambridge University Press), pp:109-230. DOI:10.1017/CBO9781139177245.006

    View in Article Google Scholar

    [20] Seneviratne S. I., Corti T., Davin E. L., et al. (2010). Investigating soil moisture–climate interactions in a changing climate: A review. Earth-Sci. Rev. 99:125−161. DOI:10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.02.004

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [21] Yuan W., Zheng Y., Piao S., et al. (2019). Increased atmospheric vapor pressure deficit reduces global vegetation growth. Sci. Adv. 5:eaax1396. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aax1396

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [22] Lian X., Li Y., Liu J., et al. (2025). Northern ecosystem productivity reduced by Rossby-wave-driven hot–dry conditions. Nat. Geosci. 18:615−623. DOI:10.1038/s41561-025-01722-3

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [23] Huang M. and Zhai P. (2025). Protracted vegetation recovery after compound drought and hot extreme compared to general drought. Environ. Res. Lett. 20:024001. DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/ada4c3

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [24] Liu Z., Jiao L. and Lian X. (2025). Changes in compound extreme events and their impacts on cropland productivity in China, 1985–2019. Earths Future 13:e2024EF005038. DOI:10.1029/2024ef005038

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [25] Wu R., Wang Z., Meng F., et al. (2025). Strengthening coupling between vegetation and soil‐atmosphere compound drought over the past two decades. Earths Future 13:e2025EF006311. DOI:10.1029/2025ef006311

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [26] Hughes T. P., Kerry J. T., Connolly S. R., et al. (2018). Ecological memory modifies the cumulative impact of recurrent climate extremes. Nat. Clim. Change 9:40−43. DOI:10.1038/s41558-018-0351-2

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [27] Wang T., Zhang J., Li Z., et al. (2025). Roles of soil and atmospheric dryness on terrestrial vegetation productivity in China-which dominates at what thresholds. Earths Future 13:e2024EF005469. DOI:10.1029/2024ef005469

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [28] Zhao D., Zhang Z. and Zhang Y. (2023). Soil moisture dominates the forest productivity decline during the 2022 China compound drought‐heatwave event. Geophys. Res. Lett. 50:e2023GL104539. DOI:10.1029/2023gl104539

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [29] Zscheischler J., Martius O., Westra S., et al. (2020). A typology of compound weather and climate events. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 1:333−347. DOI:10.1038/s43017-020-0060-z

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [30] Zhou S., Zhang Y., Park Williams A., et al. (2019). Projected increases in intensity, frequency, and terrestrial carbon costs of compound drought and aridity events. Sci. Adv. 5:eaau5740. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aau5740

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [31] Byrne M. P. and O’Gorman P. A. (2018). Trends in continental temperature and humidity directly linked to ocean warming. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115:4863−4868. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1722312115

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [32] Zhou S., Williams A. P., Lintner B. R., et al. (2021). Soil moisture–atmosphere feedbacks mitigate declining water availability in drylands. Nat. Clim. Change 11:38−44. DOI:10.1038/s41558-020-00945-z

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [33] He Q., Ju W., Dai S., et al. (2021). Drought risk of global terrestrial gross primary productivity over the last 40 years detected by a remote sensing‐driven process model. J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci. 126:e2020JG005944. DOI:10.1029/2020jg005944

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [34] Joiner, J., and Y. Yoshida. (2021). Global MODIS and FLUXNET-derived daily gross primary production, V2. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI:10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1835.

    View in Article Google Scholar

    [35] Li X. and Xiao J. (2019). Mapping photosynthesis solely from solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence: A global, fine-resolution dataset of gross primary production derived from OCO-2. Remote Sens. 11:2563. DOI:10.3390/rs11212563

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [36] Wild B., Teubner I., Moesinger L., et al. (2022). VODCA2GPP – a new, global, long-term (1988–2020) gross primary production dataset from microwave remote sensing. Earth Syst. Sci. Data 14:1063−1085. DOI:10.5194/essd-14-1063-2022

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [37] Wang S., Zhang Y., Ju W., et al. (2021). Tracking the seasonal and inter-annual variations of global gross primary production during last four decades using satellite near-infrared reflectance data. Sci. Total Environ. 755:142569. DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142569

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [38] Muñoz-Sabater J., Dutra E., Agustí-Panareda A., et al. (2021). ERA5-Land: A state-of-the-art global reanalysis dataset for land applications. Earth Syst. Sci. Data 13:4349−4383. DOI:10.5194/essd-13-4349-2021

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [39] Beck H. E., Zimmermann N. E., McVicar T. R., et al. (2018). Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution. Sci. Data 5:180214. DOI:10.1038/sdata.2018.214

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [40] Yin J., Gentine P., Slater L., et al. (2023). Future socio-ecosystem productivity threatened by compound drought–heatwave events. Nat. Sustain. 6:259−272. DOI:10.1038/s41893-022-01024-1

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [41] Zhang X., Hegerl G., Zwiers F. W., et al. (2005). Avoiding inhomogeneity in percentile-based indices of temperature extremes. J. Clim. 18:1641−1651. DOI:10.1175/JCLI3366.1

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [42] Liu L., Gudmundsson L., Hauser M., et al. (2019). Revisiting assessments of ecosystem drought recovery. Environ. Res. Lett. 14:114028. DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/ab4c61

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [43] Ben Alaya M. A., Chebana F. and Ouarda T. B. M. J. (2014). Probabilistic gaussian copula regression model for multisite and multivariable downscaling. J. Clim. 27:3331−3347. DOI:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00333.1

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [44] Suo N., Xu C., Cao L., et al. (2024). A copula-based parametric composite drought index for drought monitoring and applicability in arid Central Asia. Catena 235:107624. DOI:10.1016/j.catena.2023.107624

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [45] Zhang G., Zhang S., Wang H., et al. (2024). Evaluating vegetation vulnerability under compound dry and hot conditions using vine copula across global lands. J. Hydrol. 631:130775. DOI:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.130775

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [46] Yao Y., Liu Y., Zhou S., et al. (2023). Soil moisture determines the recovery time of ecosystems from drought. Global Change Biol. 29:3562−3574. DOI:10.1111/gcb.16620

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [47] Novick K. A., Ficklin D. L., Stoy P. C., et al. (2016). The increasing importance of atmospheric demand for ecosystem water and carbon fluxes. Nat. Clim. Change 6:1023−1027. DOI:10.1038/nclimate3114

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [48] Kannenberg S. A., Novick K. A., Alexander M. R., et al. (2019). Linking drought legacy effects across scales: From leaves to tree rings to ecosystems. Global Change Biol. 25:2978−2992. DOI:10.1111/gcb.14710

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [49] Stocker B. D., Tumber-Dávila S. J., Konings A. G., et al. (2023). Global patterns of water storage in the rooting zones of vegetation. Nat. Geosci. 16:250−256. DOI:10.1038/s41561-023-01125-2

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [50] Stocker B. D., Zscheischler J., Keenan T. F., et al. (2018). Quantifying soil moisture impacts on light use efficiency across biomes. New Phytol. 218:1430−1449. DOI:10.1111/nph.15123

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [51] Humphrey V., Berg A., Ciais P., et al. (2021). Soil moisture–atmosphere feedback dominates land carbon uptake variability. Nature 592:65−69. DOI:10.1038/s41586-021-03325-5

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [52] Green J. K., Seneviratne S. I., Berg A. M., et al. (2019). Large influence of soil moisture on long-term terrestrial carbon uptake. Nature 565:476−479. DOI:10.1038/s41586-018-0848-x

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [53] Massmann A., Gentine P. and Lin C. (2019). When does vapor pressure deficit drive or reduce evapotranspiration. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst. 11:3305−3320. DOI:10.1029/2019ms001790

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [54] Collins D. B. G. and Bras R. L. (2007). Plant rooting strategies in water‐limited ecosystems. Water Resour. Res. 43:W06407. DOI:10.1029/2006wr005541

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [55] Fan Y., Miguez-Macho G., Jobbágy E. G., et al. (2017). Hydrologic regulation of plant rooting depth. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 114:10572−10577. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1712381114

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [56] Berner L. T., Beck P. S. A., Bunn A. G., et al. (2013). Plant response to climate change along the forest‐tundra ecotone in northeastern Siberia. Global Change Biol. 19:3449−3462. DOI:10.1111/gcb.12304

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [57] Xu L., Myneni R. B., Chapin Iii F. S., et al. (2013). Temperature and vegetation seasonality diminishment over northern lands. Nat. Clim. Change 3:581−586. DOI:10.1038/nclimate1836

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [58] Richardson A. D., Keenan T. F., Migliavacca M., et al. (2013). Climate change, phenology, and phenological control of vegetation feedbacks to the climate system. Agric. For. Meteorol. 169:156−173. DOI:10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.09.012

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [59] Maxwell R. M. and Condon L. E. (2016). Connections between groundwater flow and transpiration partitioning. Science 353:377−380. DOI:10.1126/science.aaf7891

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [60] Orth R. and Seneviratne S. I. (2012). Analysis of soil moisture memory from observations in Europe. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 117:D15115. DOI:10.1029/2011jd017366

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [61] Han Y., Qu Y., Jiang T., et al. (2025). Ecosystems resilience assessment of forest and grassland subjected to ecological drought. Ecol. Indic. 173:113437. DOI:10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113437

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [62] Wilcox K. R., Shi Z., Gherardi L. A., et al. (2017). Asymmetric responses of primary productivity to precipitation extremes: A synthesis of grassland precipitation manipulation experiments. Global Change Biol. 23:4376−4385. DOI:10.1111/gcb.13706

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [63] Grossiord C., Buckley T. N., Cernusak L. A., et al. (2020). Plant responses to rising vapor pressure deficit. New Phytol. 226:1550−1566. DOI:10.1111/nph.16485

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [64] McDowell N., Pockman W. T., Allen C. D., et al. (2008). Mechanisms of plant survival and mortality during drought: Why do some plants survive while others succumb to drought. New Phytol. 178:719−739. DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02436.x

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [65] Anderegg W. R. L., Kane J. M. and Anderegg L. D. L. (2012). Consequences of widespread tree mortality triggered by drought and temperature stress. Nat. Clim. Change 3:30−36. DOI:10.1038/nclimate1635

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [66] Anderegg W. R. L., Schwalm C., Biondi F., et al. (2015). Pervasive drought legacies in forest ecosystems and their implications for carbon cycle models. Science 349:528−532. DOI:10.1126/science.aab1833

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [67] Peltier D. M. P. and Ogle K. (2019). Legacies of more frequent drought in ponderosa pine across the western United States. Global Change Biol. 25:3803−3816. DOI:10.1111/gcb.14720

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [68] Chen Z., Qian Z., Huang B., et al. (2025). Increased drought impacts on vegetation productivity in drylands under climate change. Geophys. Res. Lett. 52:e2025GL115616. DOI:10.1029/2025gl115616

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [69] Bai Y. H., Chen J., Zhang Y. W., et al. (2025). Response modes of global vegetation to extreme drought. Global Change Biol. 31:e70488. DOI:10.1111/gcb.70488

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [70] Urban J., Ingwers M., McGuire M. A., et al. (2017). Stomatal conductance increases with rising temperature. Plant Signaling Behav. 12:e1356534. DOI:10.1080/15592324.2017.1356534

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [71] Keenan T. F., Gray J., Friedl M. A., et al. (2014). Net carbon uptake has increased through warming-induced changes in temperate forest phenology. Nat. Clim. Change 4:598−604. DOI:10.1038/nclimate2253

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [72] Jeong S.-J., Ho C.-H., Gim H.-J., et al. (2011). Phenology shifts at start vs. end of growing season in temperate vegetation over the Northern Hemisphere for the period 1982-2008. Global Change Biol. 17:2385-2399. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02397.x

    View in Article Google Scholar

    [73] Barnett T. P., Adam J. C. and Lettenmaier D. P. (2005). Potential impacts of a warming climate on water availability in snow-dominated regions. Nature 438:303−309. DOI:10.1038/nature04141

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [74] Shi W., Zhang K., Huang S., et al. (2025). Widespread declining sensitivity of terrestrial gross primary productivity to compound dry-hot extremes in China. J. Hydrol. 660:133387. DOI:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133387

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [75] Liu Z., Jiao L. and Lian X. (2025). Impacts of increasing compound hot-dry events on vegetation under the warming-wetting trend in Northwest China. Geogr. Sustain. 6:100222. DOI:10.1016/j.geosus.2024.08.003

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [76] Jiao T., Williams C. A., De Kauwe M. G., et al. (2021). Patterns of post-drought recovery are strongly influenced by drought duration, frequency, post-drought wetness, and bioclimatic setting. Global Change Biol. 27:4630−4643. DOI:10.1111/gcb.15788

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [77] Liang Y., Wang J., Hao Z., et al. (2026). Anthropogenically-driven escalating impact of soil-based compound dry-hot extremes on vegetation productivity. Nat. Commun. 17:2303. DOI:10.1038/s41467-026-68878-3

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [78] Guan Y., Gu X., Dai A., et al. (2025). Anthropogenic enhancement of subsurface soil moisture droughts. Nat. Clim. Change 15:1355−1362. DOI:10.1038/s41558-025-02458-z

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

    [79] Allen C. D., Macalady A. K., Chenchouni H., et al. (2010). A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests. For. Ecol. Manage. 259:660−684. DOI:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.001

    View in Article CrossRef Google Scholar

  • Cite this article:

    Huang S., Wang S., Wang C., et al. (2026). Soil moisture deficits amplify and prolong vegetation productivity losses under compound dry-hot extremes. The Innovation Geoscience 4:100235. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2026.100235
    Huang S., Wang S., Wang C., et al. (2026). Soil moisture deficits amplify and prolong vegetation productivity losses under compound dry-hot extremes. The Innovation Geoscience 4:100235. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-geo.2026.100235

Welcome!

To request copyright permission to republish or share portions of our works, please visit Copyright Clearance Center's (CCC) Marketplace website at marketplace.copyright.com.

Figures(7)    

Supplementary Information

Share

  • Share the QR code with wechat scanning code to friends and circle of friends.

Article Metrics

Article views(2404) PDF downloads(873)

Relative Articles

Cited by

Catalog

    /

    DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint