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Temperature extremes of 2022 reduced carbon uptake by forests in Europe.

ABSTRACT: The year 2022 saw record breaking temperatures in Europe during both summer and fall. Similar to the recent 2018 drought, close to 30% (3.0 million km²) of the European continent was under severe summer drought. In 2022, the drought was located in central and southeastern Europe, contrasting the Northern-centered 2018 drought. We show, using multiple sets of observations, a reduction of net biospheric carbon uptake in summer (56-62 TgC) over the drought area. Specific sites in France even showed a widespread summertime carbon release by forests, additional to wildfires. Partial compensation (32%) for the decreased carbon uptake due to drought was offered by a warm autumn with prolonged biospheric carbon uptake. The severity of this second drought event in 5 years suggests drought-induced reduced carbon uptake to no longer be exceptional, and important to factor into Europe's developing plans for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions that rely on carbon uptake by forests.

SUBMITTER: van der Woude AM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10558467 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Temperature extremes of 2022 reduced carbon uptake by forests in Europe.

van der Woude Auke M AM Peters Wouter W Joetzjer Emilie E Lafont Sébastien S Koren Gerbrand G Ciais Philippe P Ramonet Michel M Xu Yidi Y Bastos Ana A Botía Santiago S Sitch Stephen S de Kok Remco R Kneuer Tobias T Kubistin Dagmar D Jacotot Adrien A Loubet Benjamin B Herig-Coimbra Pedro-Henrique PH Loustau Denis D Luijkx Ingrid T IT

Nature communications 20231006 1

The year 2022 saw record breaking temperatures in Europe during both summer and fall. Similar to the recent 2018 drought, close to 30% (3.0 million km<sup>2</sup>) of the European continent was under severe summer drought. In 2022, the drought was located in central and southeastern Europe, contrasting the Northern-centered 2018 drought. We show, using multiple sets of observations, a reduction of net biospheric carbon uptake in summer (56-62 TgC) over the drought area. Specific sites in France ...[more]

PMID: 37803032

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Temperature extremes of 2022 reduced carbon uptake by forests in Europe.

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Temperature extremes of 2022 reduced carbon uptake by forests in Europe.

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