Adeniyi et al. (2026) Drought influence on carbon assimilation and water use efficiency in Mediterranean ecosystems

Identification

• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-14
• Authors: Odunayo David Adeniyi, Manuela Balzarolo
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-54809-1

Research Groups

• CMCC Foundation, Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, Viterbo, Italy

Short Summary

This study evaluates the sensitivity of various satellite-derived indicators to drought in Mediterranean ecosystems, concluding that the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) is the most rapid indicator of physiological stress, preceding declines in productivity and greenness.

Objective

• To identify the earliest drought-sensitive indicators and ecosystem-specific response times.
• To quantify cumulative sensitivities across different vegetation types to establish resilience benchmarks.
• To characterize the temporal propagation pathways between thermal/physiological stress (CWSI) and changes in gross primary productivity (GPP), water flux, and water-use efficiency (WUE).

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Mediterranean region
• Temporal Scale: 20 years (2000–2020)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)
• Data sources: Satellite-derived observations of Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI), Evapotranspiration (ET), and Water-Use Efficiency (WUE).

Main Results

• Indicator Sensitivity: CWSI is the most sensitive satellite-based indicator, responding within 0–1 month and detecting physiological stress before GPP or NDVI declines.
• Vegetation Response Times:
  • Croplands and grasslands: Strongest and fastest responses ($|R_{max}|$ up to 0.38) with lags of 1–3 months.
  • Forests: Weaker and more delayed responses with lags of 4–8 months.
• Cumulative Sensitivities: Drought integration durations varied by biome: semi-arid shrublands (6–10 months), croplands and grasslands (2–4 months), and forests (1–3 months).

Contributions

The research provides an empirical foundation for integrating the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) into regional drought monitoring frameworks, offering a more precise tool for early warning and adaptive management of Mediterranean ecosystems under climate extremes.

Funding

• Germ of Life project (co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Euro-MED Programme)
• Horizon Europe project CONCERTO (Grant Agreement No. 101185000)

Citation

@article{Adeniyi2026Drought,
  author = {Adeniyi, Odunayo David and Balzarolo, Manuela},
  title = {Drought influence on carbon assimilation and water use efficiency in Mediterranean ecosystems},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-54809-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-54809-1}
}