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Soil moisture–atmosphere feedbacks mitigate declining water availability in drylands

Author

Listed:
  • Sha Zhou

    (Columbia University
    Columbia University
    Columbia University
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • A. Park Williams

    (Columbia University)

  • Benjamin R. Lintner

    (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)

  • Alexis M. Berg

    (Harvard University)

  • Yao Zhang

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    UC Berkeley)

  • Trevor F. Keenan

    (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    UC Berkeley)

  • Benjamin I. Cook

    (Columbia University
    NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies)

  • Stefan Hagemann

    (Institute of Coastal Research)

  • Sonia I. Seneviratne

    (ETH Zurich)

  • Pierre Gentine

    (Columbia University
    Columbia University)

Abstract

Global warming alters surface water availability (precipitation minus evapotranspiration, P–E) and hence freshwater resources. However, the influence of land–atmosphere feedbacks on future P–E changes and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that soil moisture (SM) strongly impacts future P–E changes, especially in drylands, by regulating evapotranspiration and atmospheric moisture inflow. Using modelling and empirical approaches, we find a consistent negative SM feedback on P–E, which may offset ~60% of the decline in dryland P–E otherwise expected in the absence of SM feedbacks. The negative feedback is not caused by atmospheric thermodynamic responses to declining SM; rather, reduced SM, in addition to limiting evapotranspiration, regulates atmospheric circulation and vertical ascent to enhance moisture transport into drylands. This SM effect is a large source of uncertainty in projected dryland P–E changes, underscoring the need to better constrain future SM changes and improve the representation of SM–atmosphere processes in models.

Suggested Citation

  • Sha Zhou & A. Park Williams & Benjamin R. Lintner & Alexis M. Berg & Yao Zhang & Trevor F. Keenan & Benjamin I. Cook & Stefan Hagemann & Sonia I. Seneviratne & Pierre Gentine, 2021. "Soil moisture–atmosphere feedbacks mitigate declining water availability in drylands," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 38-44, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:11:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41558-020-00945-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-020-00945-z
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Zhenyi Yuan & Nan Wei, 2022. "Coupling a New Version of the Common Land Model (CoLM) to the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES): Implementation, Experiment, and Preliminary Evaluation," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-25, May.
    2. Melo, Leonardo Leite de & Melo, Verônica Gaspar Martins Leite de & Marques, Patrícia Angélica Alves & Frizzone, Jose Antônio & Coelho, Rubens Duarte & Romero, Roseli Aparecida Francelin & Barros, Timó, 2022. "Deep learning for identification of water deficits in sugarcane based on thermal images," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    3. Yanmin Shuai & Yanjun Tian & Congying Shao & Jiapeng Huang & Lingxiao Gu & Qingling Zhang & Ruishan Zhao, 2022. "Potential Variation of Evapotranspiration Induced by Typical Vegetation Changes in Northwest China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Hsin Hsu & Paul A. Dirmeyer, 2023. "Soil moisture-evaporation coupling shifts into new gears under increasing CO2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Sha Zhou & A. Park Williams & Benjamin R. Lintner & Kirsten L. Findell & Trevor F. Keenan & Yao Zhang & Pierre Gentine, 2022. "Diminishing seasonality of subtropical water availability in a warmer world dominated by soil moisture–atmosphere feedbacks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Gabriele Vissio & Marco Turco & Antonello Provenzale, 2023. "Testing drought indicators for summer burned area prediction in Italy," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 116(1), pages 1125-1137, March.
    7. Jinlin Li & Lanhui Zhang, 2021. "Comparison of Four Methods for Vertical Extrapolation of Soil Moisture Contents from Surface to Deep Layers in an Alpine Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-18, August.

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