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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) — A joint study by scientists from 28 countries led by a Chinese research team has provided the first global evidence that as droughts become longer and more severe, grasslands around the world are not just adapting, but collapsing.
The study, published in the journal Science, involved scientists from Beijing Forestry University and colleagues from more than 120 institutions. They tracked plant growth in 74 meadows and shrublands across six continents during drought.
This study provides the first global evidence that the combined effects of drought intensity and duration are exacerbating declines in grassland and shrubland productivity worldwide.
Researchers found that after four consecutive years of severe drought, productivity losses increased by approximately 2.5 times compared to the first year. This suggests that ecosystems could shift from consistently low productivity to sharp declines if climate change continues to prolong and worsen future droughts.
“By quantifying these relationships using a distributed global experiment, the researchers establish a critical benchmark for future studies of drought intensity and duration,” the paper’s reviewers commented.
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