Response of ecosystem productivity to dry/wet conditions indicated by different drought indices

Abstract

Various climatic and hydrological variables such as precipitation, soil moisture, stream flow, and water level can be used to assess drought conditions, however, the response of ecosystem productivity to such metrics is not very clear. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of GPP anomalies to five drought indicators: the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), the Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), deficit of soil moisture (DSM), and the difference between precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration (ET) (D(P-ET)). The global spatial distributions of drying and wetting trends from 2000 to 2014 determined by these five indices were similar. Additionally, the percent of drought-impacted areas decreased over the study period, indicating a reduction in drought conditions. GPP increased over the study period in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) but decreased in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), resulting in a net increase in global GPP. GPP anomalies were more sensitive to drought indices in the SH than in the NH. Among the five indices, GPP anomalies were most closely correlated with SPI in the NH (R=0.60, P<0.05) and SPEI in the SH (R=0.93, P<0.01). Regionally speaking, annual and seasonal GPP anomalies were most sensitive to DSM and PDSI, highlighting the importance of soil moisture observations to regional drought monitoring and assessment. The results of this study are important for evaluating the impacts of drought on ecosystem production and the global carbon cycle.