Abstract Aridity regulates the terrestrial ecosystem productivity in water-limited regions. The aridity index (AI) is often defined as ratio of annual precipitation to potential evapotranspiration. However, how drying and wetting influence vegetation response its characteristic along gradient remains unclear. Here, we examined trends AI normalized difference (NDVI) drylands East Asia from 1982 ...

The stress gradient hypothesis posits that facilitation and stress are positively correlated. The hump-shaped hypothesis, on the contrary, proposes that facilitation is greater at intermediate stress levels. The relationship between facilitation and environmental stress is commonly studied at small spatial scales and/or considering few species; thus, the implications of facilitation at a commun...

Rea, D. K. and Leinen, M., 1988. Asian aridity and the zonal westerlies: Late Pleistocene and Holocene record of eolian deposition in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., 66:1 8. A 30,000-year record of eolian deposition in the northwestern Pacific Ocean provides a history of the aridity of the Asian source region and information on the changing latitude and ...

Brazil has the most populous and biodiverse semi-arid region in world (Brazilian Semi-arid - SAB). However, recent decades, clusters of desertification have emerged, a problem that could intensify from climate change. The objective this study was to elaborate on spatial distribution areas susceptible climatic SAB, considering future change scenarios. Understanding dynamic is essential for SAB's...

Spatially heterogeneous ecosystems form a majority of land types in the vast drylands of the globe. To evaluate climate-change effects on CO2 fluxes in such ecosystems, it is critical to understand the relative responses of each ecosystem component (microsite). We investigated soil respiration (Rs) at four sites along an aridity gradient (90– 780 mm mean annual precipitation, MAP) during almost...

This article reviews recent literature on drought of the last millennium, followed by an update on global aridity changes from 1950 to 2008. Projected future aridity is presented based on recent studies and our analysis of model simulations. Dry periods lasting for years to decades have occurred many times during the last millennium over, for example, North America, West Africa, and East Asia. ...

University House 1, PO Box 1700, STN CSC, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 3R4 Phone: 250-721-6236 | Fax: 250-721-7217 | pacificclimate.org A recent paper by Aiguo Dai (2013) in Nature Climate Change concludes that observed decreases in precipitation and streamflow, as well as increases in drought in certain areas are consistent with model projections of severe1 w...

The influence of Pleistocene climatic cycles on Southern Hemisphere biotas is not yet well understood. Australia's eastern coastal margin provides an ideal setting for examining the relative influence of landscape development, sea level fluctuation, and cyclic climatic aridity on the evolution of freshwater biodiversity. We examined the impact of climatic oscillations and physical biogeographic...

Plants have evolved different strategies to cope with drought, involving alternative ecophysiologies and different levels of plasticity. These strategies are critical for species of limited distribution, which are especially vulnerable to the current rates of rapid environmental change. The aim of this study was to assess the water strategy of two species with limited distribution, Cneorum tric...

Identification of the precise nature and attributes of the time series of climatological data is very important and is usually the first step for water resources planning and management. Such exercise is very important for hydro-climatic extremes. In many instances, a climatic time series is generally not statistically independent but is comprised of patterns of persistence, cycles, trends or s...