Wang et al. (2025) Loss and recovery of terrestrial carbon sinks induced by 2020 extreme precipitation in the Yangtze River Valley

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-10-12
• Authors: Zishan Wang, Jun Wang, Hao Zhou, Qixiang Cai, Ran Yan, Hongcheng Wang, Zhiqun Huang, Meirong Wang, Weimin Ju
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134390

Research Groups

• International Institute for Earth System Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
• Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Land Satellite Remote Sensing Applications of Ministry of Natural Resources, School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
• College of Meteorology and Oceanography, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410003, China
• Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China
• Joint Center for Data Assimilation Research and Applications/Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education/Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC)/Collaborative Innovation Center ON Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
• Tibet Field Station for Scientific Observation and Research on Atmospheric Water Cycle in Mˆedog/Xigazeˆand Mˆedog National Climate Observatory, Tibet Meteorological Service, Lhasa 850000, China

Short Summary

This study investigated the impact of extreme precipitation in the Yangtze River Valley in June-July 2020 on terrestrial carbon sinks, finding a significant decline in net biome productivity primarily due to reduced gross primary production, followed by a rapid recovery in August.

Objective

• To investigate the terrestrial carbon sink dynamics, specifically the loss and recovery, induced by the record-breaking extreme precipitation event in the Yangtze River Valley during June-July 2020.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Yangtze River Valley (YRV)
• Temporal Scale: June-July 2020 (event period), August 2020 (recovery period)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: VEGAS (terrestrial biosphere model), LPJwsl (terrestrial biosphere model)
• Data sources: OCO-2 v10 MIP posterior data (satellite observation product)

Main Results

• Extreme precipitation in June-July 2020 caused a significant decline in net biome productivity (NBP).
• NBP reductions were approximately −16.75 teragrams of carbon (Tg C) by OCO-2 v10 MIP, −23.50 Tg C by VEGAS, and −16.88 Tg C by LPJwsl, predominantly driven by substantial decreases in gross primary production (GPP).
• Following the cessation of precipitation in August, negative NBP anomalies persisted due to stronger total ecosystem respiration (TER*), but rapid recovery was observed.
• Recovery rates were 55.40 % (OCO-2), 83.58 % (VEGAS), and 86.85 % (LPJwsl), driven by a resurgence in GPP.
• Extreme precipitation triggered significant variations in temperature, soil moisture, surface downward solar radiation (RAD), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), all of which influenced NBP.
• Attribution analysis revealed reduced RAD as the primary factor behind negative NBP anomalies during June-July, contributing approximately −19.36 Tg C in VEGAS and −8.54 Tg C in LPJwsl.
• In August, VEGAS emphasized negative legacy effects from June-July, while LPJwsl pointed to the suppressive role of high temperatures.
• Both models consistently underscored the pivotal role of RAD in carbon sink recovery.

Contributions

• Provides further understanding of the negative effects of extreme precipitation on terrestrial carbon sequestration and the interactions between extreme climatic events and terrestrial ecosystems.
• Addresses an underexplored area of research compared to the impacts of droughts on carbon sinks, especially in the context of increasing frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation under global warming.

Funding

• Not provided in the given paper text.

Citation

@article{Wang2025Loss,
  author = {Wang, Zishan and Wang, Jun and Zhou, Hao and Cai, Qixiang and Yan, Ran and Wang, Hongcheng and Huang, Zhiqun and Wang, Meirong and Ju, Weimin},
  title = {Loss and recovery of terrestrial carbon sinks induced by 2020 extreme precipitation in the Yangtze River Valley},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134390},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134390}
}