Global Self‐Similar Scaling of Terrestrial Carbon With Aridity

While it is well known that water availability controls vegetation growth and soil microbial activity, how aridity affects ecosystem carbon patterns not completely understood. Toward a more quantitative assessment of terrestrial stocks, here we apply dimensional analysis scaling to the global joint distribution stock, obtained from international survey data harmonized maps. The results show remarkable self-similar behavior stock with dryness index, whereby key statistics (e.g., mean, quantiles, standard deviation) tend scale hydroclimatic regime (i.e., aridity) via universal exponent. Such reflects strong coupling between hydrological cycle biogeochemical process enables robust predictions stocks as function only. When normalized by its averages in corresponding regime, distributions collapse onto single double Pareto lognormal distribution, often used economics describe income. presence this different physical contexts, such biogeochemistry economics, hints at generating mechanisms transcend details specific being considered.