Asymmetric impacts and legacy effects of dry–wet abrupt alternation on global terrestrial vegetation productivity
- 1Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- 2College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
- 3Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Abstract
Global warming increases the frequency of compound climatic extremes such as dry–wet abrupt alternation (DWAA), which can affect terrestrial ecosystem productivity. However, the asymmetric impacts and legacy effects of DWAA on global vegetation productivity have not been systematically assessed. Using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), the Standardized Precipitation Index, and three gross primary productivity (GPP) products, we identified monthly DWAA events, including dry-to-wet (DW) and wet-to-dry (WD) transitions, and assessed their global productivity impacts and subsequent dynamics. Our results show that DWAA caused spatially heterogeneous GPP losses that varied with transition direction. DW generally caused greater initial GPP losses, whereas the effects of WD were more persistent. DW loss exceeded WD loss in four of the six main comparisons of GPP products and indices. This predominant magnitude asymmetry persisted across most alternative event definitions but weakened at longer accumulation scales. Among vegetation groups, grasslands most frequently experienced the largest loss during the transition month. GPP generally recovered earlier following DW than following WD, although recovery timing varied among products. GPP responses during the period following events also differed between the two transition directions. DW was associated with greater sensitivity to soil moisture and more negative responses to radiation and temperature. In contrast, the slopes relating GPP to precipitation following WD were consistently lower than those during normal months, whereas responses to the other environmental conditions varied among products and indices. These findings reveal that the effects of compound dry and wet extremes vary with transition direction and hydroclimatic context, highlighting the need to represent this asymmetry in assessments of ecosystem resilience and carbon cycle responses to climate change.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026asymmetric,
title = {{Asymmetric impacts and legacy effects of dry–wet abrupt alternation on global terrestrial vegetation productivity}},
author = {Yang Li and Wenbin Liu and Yuanyuan Huang and Hong Wang and Ziwei Li and Tingting Wang and Yao Feng and Hongjing Huang and Ge Song and Fubao Sun},
journal = {Environmental Research Letters},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/aeb433},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeb433},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Asymmetric impacts and legacy effects of dry–wet abrupt alternation on global terrestrial vegetation productivity
AU - Yang Li
AU - Wenbin Liu
AU - Yuanyuan Huang
AU - Hong Wang
AU - Ziwei Li
AU - Tingting Wang
AU - Yao Feng
AU - Hongjing Huang
AU - Ge Song
AU - Fubao Sun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Environmental Research Letters
DO - 10.1088/1748-9326/aeb433
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aeb433
AB - Global warming increases the frequency of compound climatic extremes such as dry–wet abrupt alternation (DWAA), which can affect terrestrial ecosystem productivity. However, the asymmetric impacts and legacy effects of DWAA on global vegetation productivity have not been systematically assessed. Using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), the Standardized Precipitation Index, and three gross primary productivity (GPP) products, we identified monthly DWAA events, including dry-to-wet (DW) and wet-to-dry (WD) transitions, and assessed their global productivity impacts and subsequent dynamics. Our results show that DWAA caused spatially heterogeneous GPP losses that varied with transition direction. DW generally caused greater initial GPP losses, whereas the effects of WD were more persistent. DW loss exceeded WD loss in four of the six main comparisons of GPP products and indices. This predominant magnitude asymmetry persisted across most alternative event definitions but weakened at longer accumulation scales. Among vegetation groups, grasslands most frequently experienced the largest loss during the transition month. GPP generally recovered earlier following DW than following WD, although recovery timing varied among products. GPP responses during the period following events also differed between the two transition directions. DW was associated with greater sensitivity to soil moisture and more negative responses to radiation and temperature. In contrast, the slopes relating GPP to precipitation following WD were consistently lower than those during normal months, whereas responses to the other environmental conditions varied among products and indices. These findings reveal that the effects of compound dry and wet extremes vary with transition direction and hydroclimatic context, highlighting the need to represent this asymmetry in assessments of ecosystem resilience and carbon cycle responses to climate change.
SN - 1748-9326
ER -