Discussions This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Earth System Dynamics (ESD). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in ESD if available. Abstract Multiple states of woody cover under similar climate conditions are found in both conceptual models and observations. Due to the limitation of the observed woody cover data set, it is unclear whether the observed bimo...

Temperature and water conditions affect vegetation growth dynamics and associated spectral measures. We examined the response of the growing season maximum enhanced vegetation index (MEVI) to the growing season temperature, precipitation, vapor pressure and relative humidity on the Tibetan Plateau. The responses of the MEVI to climatic factors changed with the vegetation type, which may be attr...

Most models evaluated by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate change estimate projected increases in temperature and precipitation with rising atmospheric CO2 levels. Researchers have suggested that increases in CO2 and associated increases in temperature and precipitation may stimulate vegetation growth and increase evapotranspiration (ET), which acts as a cooling mechanism, and on a global...

Ecological dynamics can produce a variety of striking patterns. On ecological time scales, pattern formation has been hypothesized to be due to the interaction between a species and its local environment. On longer time scales, evolutionary factors must be taken into account. To examine the evolutionary robustness of spatial pattern formation, we construct a spatially explicit model of vegetati...

A classification of spatial simulation models of fire and vegetation dynamics (landscape fire succession models or LFSMs) is presented. The classification was developed to provide a foundation for comparing models and to help identify the appropriate fire and vegetation processes and their simulation to include in coarse scale dynamic global vegetation models. Other uses include a decision tool...

While ecological succession shapes contemporary forest structure and dynamics, other factors like forest structure (dense vs. sparse canopies) and climate may alter structural trajectories. To assess potential sources of variation in structural trajectories, we examined proportional biomass change for a regionally dominant tree species, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), across...

Due to the specific climate conditions in the dry regions of Africa, an effective integrated water management is of great interest for the national authorities. This paper explains the workflow of the Aquifer Project product ‘Water and Vegetation Monitoring over entire Aquifer’. The large scale water and vegetation monitoring will be accomplished for the transboundary aquifer Iullemeden, which ...

Climate change significantly impacts the vegetation growth and terrestrial ecosystems. Using satellite remote sensing observations, here we focus on investigating vegetation dynamics and the likelihood of vegetation-related drought under varying climate conditions across China. We first compare temporal trends of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and climatic variables over China. W...

Aim Despite decades of study we have limited insights into the nature of the preEuropean landscape of the north-eastern USA and the forces and changes that shaped modern forest patterns. Information on such long-term forest dynamics would provide critical insights into the relationships among environmental change, land-use history and biotic responses and is greatly needed for conservation plan...