Wind emerges as overlooked factor in ecosystems' carbon uptake and water loss
Wind does more than sway trees. It also plays an important role in determining an ecosystem's water-use efficiency—defined as the amount of carbon an ecosystem absorbs per unit of water lost. Water-use efficiency is an important measure of how ecosystems balance growth and water availability.
Wind plays a significant role in determining how ecosystems balance carbon absorption with water loss. This role was previously overlooked, but new research highlights its importance. The study, led by Fu Zheng from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that stronger winds were linked to lower water-use efficiency at around 80% of monitoring sites worldwide.
Water-use efficiency refers to the amount of carbon an ecosystem absorbs per unit of water lost. This efficiency is crucial for predicting how ecosystems will respond to climate change. Wind removes moist air around plants, allowing water to evaporate more easily, which drives the decline in water-use efficiency. The research also found that evergreen needleleaf forests and humid ecosystems were especially sensitive to changes in wind speed.
Future wind speed changes could substantially impact ecosystem water-use efficiency, although the exact effect would depend on climate scenarios. These findings emphasize the need to consider wind speed more fully in Earth system models to improve predictions of terrestrial ecosystem responses to future climate change.
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