Earlier green-up exacerbates northern vegetation sensitivity to flash drought
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Updated: Nov 7, 2026

High Throughput Image-Based Phenotyping for Determining Morphological and Physiological Responses to Single and Combined Stresses in Potato
Published on: June 7, 2024
Wenrui Bai1,2, Quansheng Ge1, Constantin M Zohner3,4
1Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Flash drought-induced relative reduction in vegetation activity and canopy functioning, referred to as vegetation sensitivity, is a crucial measure of drought impacts. While climatic factors influencing vegetation sensitivity are well recognized, the role of phenological shifts remains poorly understood. Using multiple satellite-derived vegetation proxies (NDVI, LAI, SIF, and VOD) during 2001-2021, we show that earlier green-up dates (GUD) exacerbate vegetation sensitivity to flash droughts across 61.2-84.1% of the Northern Hemisphere (>23.5°N). Earlier GUDs enhance pre-drought vegetation growth, especially during the early growing season. Such amplified vegetation growth exacerbates sensitivity by accelerating soil moisture depletion and respiration cost, outweighing the benefit of increased subsequent net carbon assimilation. The contribution of GUD to vegetation sensitivity is comparable to that of major climatic factors. Ignoring phenological changes may lead to underestimation of long-term trends in vegetation sensitivity. These findings underscore the necessity of incorporating the interactions between phenology and flash droughts into projections of ecosystem resistance and resilience.
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