The grass is not always greener on the other side: Seasonal reversal of vegetation greenness in aspect-driven semiarid ecosystems
Geophysical Research Letters
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Abstract
Our current understanding of semiarid ecosystems is that they tend to display higher vegetation greenness on polar-facing slopes (PFS) than on equatorial-facing slopes (EFS). However, recent studies have argued that higher vegetation greenness can occur on EFS during part of the year. To assess whether this seasonal reversal of aspect-driven vegetation is a common occurrence, we conducted a global scale analysis of vegetation greenness on a monthly time scale over an 18-year period (2000-2017). We examined the influence of climate seasonality on the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) values of PFS and EFS at 60 different catchments with aspect-controlled vegetation located across all continents except Antarctica. Our results show that an overwhelming majority of sites (70%) display seasonal reversal, associated with transitions from water-limited to energy-limited conditions during wet winters. These findings highlight the need to consider seasonal variations of aspect-driven vegetation patterns in ecohydrology, geomorphology, and earth system models.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | The grass is not always greener on the other side: Seasonal reversal of vegetation greenness in aspect-driven semiarid ecosystems |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/2020GL088918 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 15 |
| Year Published | 2020 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center |
| Description | e2020GL088918, 12 p. |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |