Feng et al. (2026) Divergent vegetation recovery shaped by drought, heat and compound extremes

Identification

• Journal: Communications Earth & Environment
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-21
• Authors: Xin Feng, Zhaoli Wang, Xushu Wu, Yuxiang Zhao, Xuyang Qi, Chongyu Xu, Zhenxing Zhang, Weilin Liao, Shengzhi Huang, Yuhong Chen, Chengguang Lai, Jun Li, Zifeng Deng, Josep Peñuelas, Jordi Sardans
• DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-03927-9

Research Groups

• School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
• CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Catalonia, Spain.
• Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou, China.
• Yellow River Research Institute, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China.
• Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA.
• Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
• State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, China.
• School of Water Conservancy, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China.

Short Summary

This study assesses the impacts of compound drought and heat extremes (CDHEs) on vegetation recovery at the basin scale. The results show that CDHEs have increased globally since 1982, with a notable shift from wet-cold to dry-heat conditions. Vegetation generally exhibits lower resistance, slower recovery rates, and longer recovery times following drought than following CDHEs or heat events.

Objective

• Investigate the effects of compound drought and heat extremes (CDHEs) on vegetation recovery at the basin scale.
• Characterize the spatial patterns of CDHE severity and vegetation recovery across major river basins worldwide.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Basin-scale analysis of 43 major river basins worldwide.
• Temporal Scale: Analysis period from 1982 to 2019, with a focus on the impacts of CDHEs on vegetation recovery.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Integrated Drought Index (IDI), Compound Drought and Heat Index (CDHI), Standardized Temperature Index (STI), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) model.
• Data sources: Global Runoff Reconstruction (G-RUN) dataset, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from satellite observations.

Main Results

• CDHEs have increased globally since 1982, with a notable shift from wet-cold to dry-heat conditions.
• Vegetation generally exhibits lower resistance, slower recovery rates, and longer recovery times following drought than following CDHEs or heat events.
• The spatial patterns of CDHE severity and vegetation recovery vary across major river basins worldwide.

Contributions

• This study advances understanding of the impacts of CDHEs on vegetation recovery at the basin scale.
• The results highlight the importance of considering local environmental conditions and ecosystem characteristics in shaping vegetation resilience.

Funding

• This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51579200).
• The authors acknowledge funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Agreement No. 776186).

Citation

@article{Feng2026Divergent,
  author = {Feng, Xin and Wang, Zhaoli and Wu, Xushu and Zhao, Yuxiang and Qi, Xuyang and Xu, Chongyu and Zhang, Zhenxing and Liao, Weilin and Huang, Shengzhi and Chen, Yuhong and Lai, Chengguang and Li, Jun and Deng, Zifeng and Peñuelas, Josep and Sardans, Jordi},
  title = {Divergent vegetation recovery shaped by drought, heat and compound extremes},
  journal = {Communications Earth & Environment},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s43247-026-03927-9},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03927-9}
}