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Precipitation change caused by climate warming is an important perspective to explain the change in grain production pattern. Based on the panel data of 272 cities in mainland China from 2001 to 2016, the present paper evaluates the effect of precipitation change on grain production pattern by utilizing the spatial econometric model and the threshold model. It is found that China's grain production pattern is gradually shifting from south to north, and the growth rate of precipitation in the northern region is higher than that in the southern region. Empirical evidence reveals precipitation has a significantly positive effect on grain output in the northern region but not in the southern region, which becomes an important drive for the evolution of China's grain production pattern from south to north. Besides, results from the threshold model show precipitation change has the most significant impact on grain production along the 400 mm annual precipitation line. The northward movement of 400 mm annual precipitation line is an important drive for the evolution of grain production pattern from south to north in China. These evidences could effectively explain the fact that the northern inland China has become the main grain production regions mainly due to the 400 mm equipluve northward movement, where these regions are unsuitable from grain production in history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aim Location Taxon Methods Results Main Conclusions Tropical peatlands are globally significant carbon stores, increasingly threatened by human activities and climate change. However, their ecohydrological responses to shifting water availability remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the connections between climate change, hydrology and vegetation dynamics in a coastal tropical peatland in Panama, aiming to understand the effects of future drying on peatland dynamics.Bocas del Toro, Panama (9°22′54″N, 82°21′59″W).Angiosperms.High‐resolution multiproxy palaeoecological data, including pollen and plant macrofossils (vegetation), testate amoebae (water‐table depth) and physical peat properties, are used to explore the relationships between climate change, hydrology and vegetation in a coastal tropical peatland over the past 700 years. Downscaled climate simulations are integrated with this process‐based understanding to project the likely future responses of this coastal peatland to climate change.We identify a clear connection between precipitation variability, driven by shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and water‐table dynamics, which subsequently influence changes in the peatland vegetation mosaic. Historical drier periods are marked by the expansion of shrub communities into the open peatland plain.Palaeoecological studies incorporating climate and hydrological proxies are essential for understanding both recent and future ecohydrological dynamics of tropical peatlands. Our findings suggest that in response to future climate change, water tables will lower and shrub communities will expand due to rising temperatures and reduced precipitation. Additionally, future sea‐level rise, combined with declining rainfall, may result in seawater intrusion and significant vegetation shifts in coastal tropical peatlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] Under the background of climate warming and changing precipitation pattern, how to ensure the sustainable and stable function of grassland ecosystem and their ability to provide ecological services depends on comprehensive study of the relationship between biodiversity and productivity and its stability. This is also one of the central focus in the study of global change ecology. [Reviews] This paper systematically reviews the latest research progress in global change ecology at home and abroad, focusing on the following three aspects: First, we provide an overview of how species diversity affects productivity and its stability, as well as the potential mechanisms underlying these effects. Second, we provide a detailed overview of recent studies on the relationship between plant diversity and productivity and its stability in response to climate warming and changing precipitation, based on field experiments and other methods. Finally, we explore how dynamic changes in plant species composition play a crucial role in regulating the stability of community productivity. [Prospect] This paper puts forward some suggestions on the key issues and future research directions of plant community stability and its mechanism.

In recent decades, precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau(TP) increased in the north and decreased in the south, leading to greater complexity and uncertainty of the water resources system. To improve our knowledge about those changes, on the basis of an existing method for calculating precipitation recycle rate, a new method for tracking water vapor transport and estimating relative contribution rates of different water vapor sources is proposed to quantify the contribution of different water vapor sources to the precipitation and its changes in the TP. The study shows that the southwestern source area controlled by the Indian monsoon, the western source area by the westerly, the local source area by recycled water vapor, and the southeastern source area by the East Asian monsoon contributed 38.5%, 31.6%, 24.6%, and 0.2%, respectively, of the water vapor to the precipitation in the TP during 1980-2020. The southwestern source region dominated the increase in precipitation in the southwestern TP, contributing 42.9% of the water vapor to the overall increase in precipitation in the TP. Meanwhile, the local recycle source area is the main water vapor contributor to the precipitation increment in the central and northern part of the TP, contributing 36.2% of the water vapor to the overall increase in precipitation in the TP. The western source area contributed 10.6% of the water vapor to the overall increase in precipitation on the TP, with increasing contribution to the northwestern part of the TP and decreasing contribution to the eastern and southern parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology / Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao is the property of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An obvious long‐term drying trend in recent early springs (February–March–April) is observed over southeastern China (SEC). Here, we attribute this drying to the weakened subtropical westerlies and deflected by the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Climatologically, the low‐level southwesterlies at the southeastern margin of the TP, a branch of the upstream subtropical westerly jet deflected by the TP terrain, bring water vapor to SEC and the southerlies move upward over SEC mainly through isentropic gliding mechanism, inducing persistent precipitation in early spring. However, the subtropical westerlies weakened significantly in recent decades due potentially to the decreased Eurasian snow cover. Consequently, an easterly trend appears along the southern margin of the TP with anomalous northeasterlies over SEC. These northeasterlies suppress both moisture supply and upward motions over SEC, and reduce regional early spring precipitation. Our results highlight the interaction between the TP terrain and the weakened subtropical westerlies that leads to the drying SEC. Plain Language Summary: Spring precipitation in southeastern China (SEC) is a major rainband during the pre‐flood season in East Asia, which is significant for agricultural production and social economy. However, in the recent few decades, a robust long‐term drying trend has occurred over SEC in early spring. In this study, we propose a new mechanism for the decreased SEC precipitation and highlight the important influence of the weakened subtropical westerlies and their interaction with the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Deflected by the TP large terrain, the upstream weakened subtropical westerlies induce weakened westerlies and southwesterlies along the southern and southeastern margins of the TP, respectively. As a result, the weakened southwesterlies at the southeastern TP not only reduce the moisture transport downstream, but also suppress the ascending motions over SEC through the isentropic gliding mechanism. Both the water vapor and atmospheric circulation conditions finally induce the drying SEC in recent early springs. Key Points: An early spring drying trend has occurred in southeastern China (SEC), much of this can be attributed to the weakened subtropical westerliesDeflected by the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the weakened subtropical westerlies decelerate downstream westerlies along the TP's southern marginThe decelerated westerlies at the southeastern TP suppress moisture supply and rising motions over SEC, both processes cause the drying SEC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates dynamic and thermodynamic components of moisture flux convergence in Southwest China (SW-MFC) and their underlying physical mechanisms during early and late summer. Using precipitation observation and CRA-40 reanalysis datasets from 1979 to 2023, the results show that both dynamic and thermodynamic processes modulate the SW-MFC in early summer (May-June), with dynamics playing a pivotal role. In contrast, the precipitation anomaly in late summer (July-August) is predominantly driven by the dynamic factors. Meanwhile, the large-scale circulation over the northern Indian Peninsula significantly modulates the SW-MFC. In early summer, anomalous convection around the Maritime Continent with the tripole sea surface temperature (SST) mode in the tropical Indo-Pacific can trigger the formation of "double ring" vertical zonal circulation cells. A large-scale westerly anomaly at the lower troposphere over the northern Arabian Sea foster cyclone strengthening over the northern Indian Peninsula, enhancing southerly moisture transport and increasing precipitation over Southwest China. During the late summer, large-scale dipole SST pattern between the subtropical central-eastern Pacific and the Indo-Pacific warm pool generates significant easterly anomalies towards the Maritime Continent. The SST gradient stimulates an extensive anticyclonic shear zone over the western equatorial Pacific, with an intensified low-pressure zone to its north. This atmospheric pattern over Southwest China and Indian Peninsula can form a vertical circulation circle that largely intensifies widespread precipitation. Numerical model experiments can reproduce the mechanisms of tropical Indo-Pacific joint effects on the Southwest precipitation in both early and late summer, providing a theoretical basis for understanding and forecasting summer precipitation over Southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a prominent bioenergy crop with robust resilience to environmental stresses. However, our knowledge regarding how precipitation changes affect switchgrass photosynthesis and its responses to light and CO2 remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a field precipitation experiment with five different treatments, including −50%, −33%, 0%, +33%, and +50% of ambient precipitation. To determine the responses of leaf photosynthesis to CO2 concentration and light, we measured leaf net photosynthesis of switchgrass under different CO2 concentrations and light levels in 2020 and 2021 for each of the five precipitation treatments. We first evaluated four light and CO2 response models (i.e., rectangular hyperbola model, nonrectangular hyperbola model, exponential model, and the modified rectangular hyperbola model) using the measurements in the ambient precipitation treatment. Based on the fitting criteria, we selected the nonrectangular hyperbola model as the optimal model and applied it to all precipitation treatments, and estimated model parameters. Overall, the model fit field measurements well for the light and CO2 response curves. Precipitation change did not influence the maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax) but influenced other model parameters including quantum yield (α), convexity (θ), dark respiration (Rd), light compensation point (LCP), and saturated light point (LSP). Specifically, the mean Pmax of five precipitation treatments was 17.6 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1, and the ambient treatment tended to have a higher Pmax. The +33% treatment had the highest α, and the ambient treatment had lower θ and LCP, higher Rd, and relatively lower LSP. Furthermore, precipitation significantly influenced all model parameters of CO2 response. The ambient treatment had the highest Pmax, largest α, and lowest θ, Rd, and CO2 compensation point LCP. Overall, this study improved our understanding of how switchgrass leaf photosynthesis responds to diverse environmental factors, providing valuable insights for accurately modeling switchgrass ecophysiology and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Soil & Water Conservation is the property of Bulletin of Soil & Water Conservation Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aims: Changes in precipitation patterns, such as the predicted increases in the frequency of climatic extremes, are likely to alter plant communities, but whether responses to drought or to wetter conditions respectively cause consistent, opposite responses is debated. Here, we assessed the response in biomass production and species diversity of water‐limited plant communities to the direction (increase or decrease) and magnitude (micro‐ and macro‐climatic effects) of changes in soil moisture. Location: We reciprocally translocated soils containing seed banks from two climates (semi‐arid and mediterranean) at a micro‐climatic (opposite slopes) and a macro‐climatic scale (between climates) in Chile. Results: Biomass production for the soils that were translocated from wetter to drier climates was unrelated to the available soil moisture. The lowest biomass was produced in the wettest climate on the wet slope. Biomass production increased after a translocation to the drier climate (representing the largest change in climate). Nonetheless, the highest overall biomass for the wet to dry translocation was produced on the mediterranean dry slope with intermediate soil moisture. However, on the same mediterranean dry slope, biomass was almost zero for soil translocated the other way round (from drier to wetter). Diversity after 24 months was unaffected by micro‐climatic change, but soils transplanted toward the drier climate yielded a plant community with increased diversity. Conclusion: Our results showed direction and magnitude of climate change but also the response factor that is studied matters to detect direction‐dependent responses; i.e., species richness had a linear and reversible response. However, the response of biomass depended on the origin of the transplanted material (soil and plant community), indicating history dependence (hysteresis). This emphasizes that responses to unidirectional climate manipulation experiments may not be able to capture the entire nature of the response of plant communities to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational evidence has shown that the Earth's tropics have widened since 1980. However, climate models underestimate the observed tropical expansion rate, with a large spread among individual models. The proposal of internal variability to account for model–observation differences is hindered by the limited availability of sufficient realizations from models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), restricting the accuracy of quantitative contribution estimation. The emergence of a single model initial‐condition large ensemble provides a new opportunity to quantify the role of internal variability. Here, using large‐ensemble simulations from two individual models complemented with CMIP Phase 6 (CMIP6) simulations, we show evidence that the recent widening of the tropics is mainly caused by internal variability related to the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). The positive‐to‐negative phase transition of the IPO from 1980 to 2014 reduced the meridional tropospheric temperature gradient, resulting in poleward shifts in tropical edges. After adjusting the IPO trends simulated by individual realizations to ensure consistency with the observations, the IPO phase transition can account for at least 73% (66%) of the observed tropical expansion rate in the Northern Hemisphere based on the metric of the meridional stream function (surface zonal wind). The IPO is also essential for shaping tropical expansion‐related precipitation changes. Our results underscore the significance of considering internal variability when explaining model–observation differences and understanding intermodel uncertainty. Plain Language Summary: The edge of the tropics has shifted poleward over the past few decades, a phenomenon referred to as tropical expansion. However, existing climate models exhibit underestimate of the observed tropical expansion rate and show a large spread in the simulated rates. Although internal climate variability is suggested as an explanation for the difference between observations and climate models and the spread across models, it is difficult to quantitatively estimate its contribution due to the insufficient use of climate models. With the utilization of two large‐ensemble simulations with an ample number of independent realizations, our findings reveal that the internal variability associated with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) plays a significant role in contributing to both model–observation differences and intermodel spread in the tropical expansion rate. Expanding on the benefits of large ensembles, we quantify the relative contribution of the IPO, suggest likely physical mechanisms, and investigate the impact of the IPO on tropical expansion‐related precipitation changes. Our work provides a useful reference for how large‐ensemble simulations help explain model–observation inconsistencies and reveals the essential role of IPO‐related internal variability in the prediction of tropical expansion rates. Key Points: The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) explains 66%–73% of the observed tropical expansion rate in the Northern Hemisphere from 1980 to 2014The recent shift in the IPO phase modulates the width of the tropics by reducing the meridional tropospheric temperature gradientThe IPO is essential for shaping tropical expansion‐related precipitation changes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

California is one of the major uncertainty hotspots for climate change, as climate models have historically been split between projecting wetter and drier future conditions over the region. We analysed the future (mid‐century and end‐century) projections of California's winter precipitation changes from the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), and studied its respective model agreement in comparison to the previous CMIP5 projections. Over northern California more than two thirds of the models in each ensemble agree on wetter future conditions. However, over southern California both ensembles show highly uncertain precipitation changes, with model projections almost equally divided between wetter or drier conditions. Projected end‐century precipitation changes range from −30% to +70% in CMIP5 and −20% to +80% in CMIP6. The CMIP6 ensemble mean changes are generally wetter and show larger model disagreement compared to CMIP5. Distribution of year‐to‐year precipitation indicates more extremely wet or dry years over southern California in CMIP6 compared to CMIP5, with some models suggesting that the five wettest years account for as much as ~55% of the 20‐year rainfall, and the five driest for as little as ~5%. Dynamically, both ensembles project weakened subsidence over Baja California that is stronger in CMIP6 than in CMIP5, in line with the wetter mean conditions in CMIP6. In the western tropical Pacific we find strengthening of the Hadley circulation in CMIP6 that is not seen in CMIP5, and more El Niño than La Niña conditions in the equatorial Pacific. More CMIP6 models also project an increase in ENSO events compared to CMIP5, and a stronger impact of ENSO on California's precipitation is found in CMIP6 than in CMIP5. These factors also contribute to larger model disagreement and more extremely wet or dry years over southern California in CMIP6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation–soil–microbial relationships significantly affect global climatic and environmental changes. Fluctuations in temperature and precipitation caused by climate change are the driving forces of dynamic changes in vegetation–soil–microbial relationships. Our study was conducted in the desert grassland of Ningxia, China, and involved five levels of annual precipitation (33 % (R33), 66 % (R66), 100 % (RCK), 133 % (R133), and 166 % (R166)) and two temperature levels (within and outside the open-top chamber). Our objective was to determine how vegetation–soil–microbial relationships in desert grasslands respond to changes in precipitation and warming. Our results showed that precipitation was positively correlated with above-ground living and root biomass, and soil organic carbon. R166 had the strongest effect on the correlation between vegetation, soil, and microbes, whereas R33 had the weakest effect. Temperature was positively correlated with soil microbial α-diversity, and the effect of warming on the correlation among vegetation, soil, and microbes was less significant than under natural temperature. The combination of precipitation and warming was positively correlated with the above-ground living biomass and soil respiration. The correlation effects of the combination of precipitation and warming on vegetation, soil, and microbes were more substantial than those of precipitation and warming. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of reasonable response strategies for desert steppe ecosystems.

Precipitation exhibits a pronounced seasonal cycle, of which the phase and amplitude are closely associated with water resource management. While previous studies suggested an emerged delaying phase in the past decades, whether the amplified amplitude has emerged is controversial. Using multiple observational data sets and climate simulations, here we show that the amplification of precipitation annual cycle has emerged in most global land areas since the 1980s, especially in the tropics. These amplifications are mainly driven by anthropogenic emissions, and will be further intensified by 17.6% in the future (2081–2100) under high emission scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, SSP585), and limited to 7.2% under SSP126 scenario, relative to the historical period (1982–2014). Precipitation seasonality will be amplified by 4.2% for each 1°C of global warming, which is seen in all emission scenarios. The mitigation of lower emissions is helpful for alleviating the amplification of precipitation seasonality in a warming world. Plain Language Summary: Precipitation displays pronounced seasonal cycle, and its phase and amplitude are closely associated with ecosystems and our society by redistributing water resources. The phase of precipitation cycle has been well understood in previous studies, but how its magnitude changes remain largely unknown. In this study, we use multiple observational data sets and climate simulations to show that precipitation annual cycle has been amplified in most parts of global land area since the 1980s. These amplifications are especially strong in the tropical regions, and are mainly driven by the increases in anthropogenic greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions. In the future (2081–2100) under high emission scenario (SSP585), they will be further intensified by 17.6% relative to the historical period (1982–2014), and will be limited to 7.2% under low emission scenario (SSP126). We also estimate that the amplitude of precipitation seasonality will be increased by around 4.2% for each 1°C of global warming, and suggest that keeping lower emissions is helpful for alleviating the amplification of precipitation seasonality. Key Points: Precipitation annual cycle has been amplified in most global land areas since the 1980s, especially in the tropicsPrecipitation seasonality amplification will be intensified in the future, mainly driven by anthropogenic emissionsThe amplitude of precipitation seasonality will be amplified by ∼4.2% for each 1°C of global warming [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic climate change is altering precipitation regimes at a global scale. While precipitation changes have been linked to changes in the abundance and diversity of soil and litter invertebrate fauna in forests, general trends have remained elusive due to mixed results from primary studies. We used a meta‐analysis based on 430 comparisons from 38 primary studies to address associated knowledge gaps, (i) quantifying impacts of precipitation change on forest soil and litter fauna abundance and diversity, (ii) exploring reasons for variation in impacts and (iii) examining biases affecting the realism and accuracy of experimental studies. Precipitation reductions led to a decrease of 39% in soil and litter fauna abundance, with a 35% increase in abundance under precipitation increases, while diversity impacts were smaller. A statistical model containing an interaction between body size and the magnitude of precipitation change showed that mesofauna (e.g. mites, collembola) responded most to changes in precipitation. Changes in taxonomic richness were related solely to the magnitude of precipitation change. Our results suggest that body size is related to the ability of a taxon to survive under drought conditions, or to benefit from high precipitation. We also found that most experiments manipulated precipitation in a way that aligns better with predicted extreme climatic events than with predicted average annual changes in precipitation and that the experimental plots used in experiments were likely too small to accurately capture changes for mobile taxa. The relationship between body size and response to precipitation found here has far‐reaching implications for our ability to predict future responses of soil biodiversity to climate change and will help to produce more realistic mechanistic soil models which aim to simulate the responses of soils to global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has mainly focused on plant communities, with comparably little known about soil microbial‐driven ecosystem functions. Climate change severely threatens soil microbial roles, but how soil microbial communities determine soil multifunctionality under climate change is poorly understood.Here, we evaluated the effects of diverse bacterial and fungal properties, including microbial gene abundance, diversity and network complexity, on soil multifunctionality (nine soil functions) across a 3000 km transect along a natural precipitation gradient in Tibetan alpine grasslands. Variation partitioning analyses were performed to disentangle the relative importance of bacterial and fungal properties to the variation of soil multifunctionality. Moreover, structural equation modelling was adopted to explore the influencing pathways of precipitation‐induced changes in plant and edaphic factors to soil microbial properties and, consequently, soil multifunctionality.Soil multifunctionality was positively associated with bacterial and fungal gene abundance, diversity and network complexity. Microbial gene abundance was the more important driver influencing soil multifunctionality than microbial diversity and network complexity. In addition, microbial gene abundance was mainly determined by precipitation‐induced changes in soil pH. Meanwhile, the effects of bacterial properties on soil multifunctionality were much larger than those of fungi. Soil multifunctionality was closely associated with different bacterial (cellulolysis, ligninolysis, nitrogen reduction, denitrification and nitrate fixation etc.) and fungal (soil saprotrophs, arbuscular mycorrhizal and plant pathogens etc.) functional guilds, which exert vital regulations on an array of soil biogeochemical cycling processes.Our results provide the large‐scale evidence of the relative contribution of soil microbial gene abundance, diversity and network complexity to the variation of soil multifunctionality in alpine grasslands with changing precipitation, which is pivotal for understanding microbial roles in modulating and predicting soil multifunctionality under future precipitation changes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The decomposition of litter and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems are significantly influenced by ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. The direction and magnitude of this effect are largely regulated by the dry and wet conditions of the environment. The impact of UV-B radiation on the decomposition process of different litter types in arid desert regions under future precipitation changes remains poorly understood. Methods: A field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of precipitation changes (natural precipitation, a 30% increase in precipitation, and a 30% reduction in precipitation) on the litter decomposition of Reaumuria soongarica and Salsola passerina under both natural and reduced UV-B radiation conditions. Results: The reduction in UV-B radiation significantly decreased mass loss and nutrient release. However, these adverse effects were counteracted by increased precipitation, with an average value of 4.17% for mass loss and 34.35% for nutrient release. Conversely, decreased precipitation intensified these negative effects. The ameliorating effects of increased precipitation were associated with improved soil properties, including higher soil moisture and lower soil temperature, as well as elevated soil enzyme activities such as higher CBH and POD. Moreover, these mitigating effects on mass loss and nutrient release were more pronounced in S. passerina litter than in R. soongarica. A structural equation model revealed that precipitation and UV-B radiation indirectly influenced mass loss by altering soil properties (ST and SM) and soil enzyme activities (CBH and POD). Conclusion: Our results suggest that changes in precipitation will modify the effects of reduced UV-B radiation on litter decomposition and nutrient cycling of various plant litters, particularly in plants with lower initial nitrogen content, under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government's program of reverting agriculture to forests and grasslands has largely been responsible for the phenomenon of the Loess Plateau becoming green, which has attracted the attention of the international academic community. To identify the reasons for the Loess Plateau's greening scientifically and precisely, it is essential to comprehend the relationship between the natural vegetation covering index and precipitation change. The relationship between NDVI indicators and precipitation in the non-reforestation (grass) area of the Loess Plateau was investigated using statistical techniques like detrended partial cross-correlation analysis and observation data of daily precipitation and pan evaporation in the Loess Plateau from 1982 to 2015. Also looked at are the results of this co-evolution of space and time. The results demonstrate that during the process of becoming greener, the NDVI index in the non-reforestation (grass) portion of the Loess Plateau showed a significant rising trend. The most noticeable shift happened in the hilly and gully areas. The yearly precipitation data often displayed a fluctuating, increasing tendency. It was discovered to have a strong long-range correlation with the NDVI data. The positive partial correlation area accounted for about 76% of the total area of the Loess Plateau. There is regional variation in the effect of different magnitudes of precipitation changes on the NDVI in the non-reforestation (grass) regions of the Loess Plateau, and 30–50 mm precipitation increases are the key to the greatly increased natural NDVI in these places. Thus, it is determined that precipitation variations have a significant impact on the greening of the Loess Plateau, particularly in non-reforestation (grass) areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Plant nutrients play a fundamental role in regulating ecosystem functioning and are sensitive to global changes such as precipitation change and nitrogen (N) deposition. However, the mechanisms by which resource availability and community composition mediate canopy nutrients remain unclear. Methods: We investigated soil resource availability, plant productivity, community composition and canopy nutrient status in a 6-year water and N addition experiment in a desert shrubland of northern China. Results: Water addition overall negatively affected canopy N content but had no effect on canopy phosphorus (P) content, and these effects were mediated by ambient precipitation. In drier years, water addition reduced canopy N and P contents via decreasing shrub-herb ratio and increasing community productivity. In wetter years, higher precipitation levels weakened water effects on plant community, causing a neutral water effect on canopy N content. Furthermore, this increased precipitation intensified soil calcium leaching, which, in turn, had a positive water effect on canopy P content. Accordingly, canopy N and P contents showed negative logarithmic and concave-shaped relationships with precipitation, respectively. Nitrogen enrichment increased canopy N but reduced P content through increasing soil N availability and reducing shrub-herb ratio. Conclusions: Our results suggest that both ambient precipitation levels and plant functional composition play pivotal roles in mediating desert canopy nutrient responses to precipitation change and N deposition. Our findings also highlight the fundamental role of soil calcium in regulating plant P responses to precipitation change, which provide new insights into our understanding of biogeochemical coupling under global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding trends in extreme precipitation events in the context of global warming is critical for assessing climate change impacts. This study employs a novel methodology developed by Giorgi and Ciarlo (2022) to analyze record-breaking daily precipitation events from 1980 to 2020, utilizing three reanalysis products (ERA5, MERRA-2, and JRA-55) and one global observation dataset (MSWEP). Our results indicate a consistent and statistically significant increase in record-breaking precipitation events globally, with variations across different latitude bands and between land and ocean areas. This trend is evident in all datasets, with the most substantial increases observed over oceans in ERA5 and over land in JRA and MERRA. Notably, the Southern Hemisphere shows mixed results, with some regions displaying negative trends. This study highlights the increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events, supporting the hypothesis of intensified hydrological cycles under a warming climate. Our findings enhance understanding of precipitation extremes and underscore the importance of regional analyses in climate impact studies. Future work could extend these findings to formal attribution studies linking observed trends directly to anthropogenic climate change.

Understanding trends in extreme precipitation events in the context of global warming is critical for assessing climate change impacts. This study employs a novel methodology developed by Giorgi and Ciarlo (2022) to analyze record-breaking daily precipitation events from 1980 to 2020, utilizing three reanalysis products (ERA5, MERRA-2, and JRA-55) and one global observation dataset (MSWEP). Our results indicate a consistent and statistically significant increase in record-breaking precipitation events globally, with variations across different latitude bands and between land and ocean areas. This trend is evident in all datasets, with the most substantial increases observed over oceans in ERA5 and over land in JRA and MERRA. Notably, the Southern Hemisphere shows mixed results, with some regions displaying negative trends. This study highlights the increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events, supporting the hypothesis of intensified hydrological cycles under a warming climate. Our findings enhance understanding of precipitation extremes and underscore the importance of regional analyses in climate impact studies. Future work could extend these findings to formal attribution studies linking observed trends directly to anthropogenic climate change.

While there has been rapid advancement in the development and application of statistical downscaling methods for climate projection, determining the best predictive large‐scale climate information for the targeted local climate variable remains a challenge. The choice of predictor variables is one of the most influential steps of model development and has the potential to lead to varying results, contributing to the total uncertainty of future projections. Despite being a well‐known problem, predictor selection often does not receive adequate attention and the development of a straightforward and feasible prescreening process is needed to provide guidance to simple (e.g., linear regression) and complex (e.g., machine learning) modeling tools alike. In this project, Akaike information criterion (AIC) and leave one out cross validation are used to evaluate sets of predictor variables common in statistical downscaling models of precipitation (e.g., temperature, geopotential height, moisture transport). Because thousands of predictor sets were found to be competitive in their statistical skill in projecting rainfall, results suggest that an ensemble of predictor sets should be used to account for the resulting variance associated with predictor selection. This ensemble approach is applied to make improvements to the most recent statistical downscaling model developed for rainfall projection in Hawai'i. An ensemble validation study is performed by projecting future wet season rainfall in Hawai'i for scenario RCP4.5 using 17 CMIP5 GCMs with ensembles of highly ranked and poorly ranked predictor sets. Results show significantly less variance and improved agreement in the projected sign of precipitation change for the highly ranked predictor set ensemble. In conclusion, it is recommended that statistical downscaling models are run in an ensemble‐mode with multiple combinations of predictors instead of using a single model, allowing for additional quantification of model uncertainty and a "safety net" for when the true physically best‐suited predictor set is unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saltmarsh is widely recognized as a blue carbon ecosystem with great carbon storage potential. Yet soil respiration with a major contributor of atmospheric CO2 can offset its carbon sink function. Up to date, mechanisms ruling CO2 emissions from saltmarsh soil remain unclear. In particular, the effect of precipitation on soil CO2 emissions is unclear in coastal wetlands, due the lack of outdoor data in real situations. We conducted a 7-year field manipulation experiment in a saltmarsh in the Yellow River Delta, China. Soil respiration in five treatments (-60%, -40%, +0%, +40%, and+ 60% of precipitation) was measured in the field. Topsoils from the last 3 years (2019-2021) were analyzed for CO2 production potential by microcosm experiments. Furthermore, quality and quantity of soil organic carbon and microbial function were tested. Results show that only the moderate precipitation rise of +40% induced a 66.2% increase of CO2 production potential for the microcosm experiments, whereas other data showed a weak impact. Consistently, soil respiration was also found to be strongest at +40%. The CO2 production potential is positively correlated with soil organic carbon, including carbon quantity and quality. But microbial diversity did not show any positive response to precipitation sizes. r-/K-strategy seemed to be a plausible explanation for biological factors. Overall, our finding reveal that a moderate precipitation increase, not decrease or a robust increase, in a saltmarsh is likely to improve soil organic carbon quality and quantity, and bacterial oligotroph:copiotroph ratio, ultimately leading to an enhanced CO2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and precipitation change affect plants' survival and thriving. Phenotypic plasticity can show plants adaptability to varying environment. Physiological plasticity reflects plants capacity to open areas, and morphological plasticity reflects capacity to survive and grow. In this study, we simulated combined effects of elevated CO2 and precipitation change on the phenotypic plasticity of two Stipa species: Stipa grandis and Stipa breviflora. Our results indicated that plasticity of physiology was higher than plasticity of morphology under either ambient or elevated CO2 concentration in both Stipa species. S. breviflora showed higher plasticity index of physiological (PIp) and plasticity index of morphological (PIm) than S. grandis under elevated CO2 concentration. Therefore, we speculate that S. breviflora is more adaptable than S. grandis under high CO2 concentration in the future. Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and simultaneous precipitation change is advantageous to S. breviflora distribution expansion, nonetheless, the changing environments also favor the competitive ability of S. grandis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply a methodology to identify and count records (events of unprecedented intensity) in daily precipitation time series to two sets of data: (1) different observational and reanalysis products for recent decades and (2) twenty‐first century projections (RCP8.5 and RCP2.6 scenarios) completed with two regional climate models driven by three global climate models over nine continental‐scale domains. Comparison of the detected (or actual) number of records with the corresponding number theoretically expected in stationary climate conditions (or "reference" number of records) provides indications of trends in daily precipitation extremes, as expected in a changing climate. In particular, we measure deviations from stationary conditions using the ratio of actual to reference records (RAtR) as a basic metric. We find that the observational products provide mixed indications of precipitation record trends across regions, while in the reanalysis products and the model simulations for the historical period the RAtR value shows a prevailing increasing trend with time over most continents. The RAtR shows a consistent and pronounced increase in all RCP8.5 continental‐scale projections, when sustained warming occurs throughout the 21st century, while smaller to no significant trends are found in the RCP2.6 scenario, when the warming stabilizes after about mid‐21st century. These results are indicative of an increase in precipitation extremes with global warming as measured by the higher number of local precipitation events of unprecedented intensity compared to what expected in stationary climate conditions, although a marked variability of this response is found across different regions. Our method can have useful applications in detection and attribution of hydroclimatic extremes and in impact and vulnerability assessment studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The impacts of precipitation on the groundwater preservation capacity for agricultural regions in North China were studied in order to provide a theoretical basis for the sustainable use of groundwater resources in this region. [Methods] We established a theoretical system for evaluating groundwater preservation capacity (F) and determined the influence of precipitation changes on F value in agricultural regions of North China using methods such as geoscience statistics and correlation analysis. [Results] ① The spatial distribution of F value changed dramatically as precipitation changed. The multi-year average and wet years were dominated by the “basic guarantee” distribution, while the dry years were dominated by the “difficult to guarantee” distribution; ② As precipitation changed, the frequency of F value also varied in different locations. In the Yanshan Plain and the Taihang-Hebei Plain, when the precipitation frequency was greater than 75% and 50%, respectively, the F value was less than 0.5; in the Taihang-Henan Plain, when the precipitation frequency was less than 75%, the F value was greater than 1.0; in the Central Henan Plain, when the precipitation frequency was less than 50%, the F value increased to 1.0; in the Central Shandong Plain and Littoral Plain, when the precipitation frequency was less than 25%, the F value was greater than 0.5; in the Central Hebei Plain, there were only a few years where the F value was greater than 0.5. [Conclusions] Precipitation is an important factor that affects groundwater preservation capacity. For areas that can be “highly preserved” even during normal and dry years, the scale of agricultural planting can be appropriately expanded to ensure ample food production. However, for areas that are “difficult to preserve” and have “lower preservation” capacity during wet years, the scale of agricultural planting should be appropriately reduced to alleviate the pressure of groundwater overexploitation.

Saltmarsh is widely recognized as a blue carbon ecosystem with great carbon storage potential. Yet soil respiration with a major contributor of atmospheric CO2 can offset its carbon sink function. Up to date, mechanisms ruling CO2 emissions from saltmarsh soil remain unclear. In particular, the effect of precipitation on soil CO2 emissions is unclear in coastal wetlands, due the lack of outdoor data in real situations. We conducted a 7-year field manipulation experiment in a saltmarsh in the Yellow River Delta, China. Soil respiration in five treatments (−60%, −40%, +0%, +40%, and + 60% of precipitation) was measured in the field. Topsoils from the last 3 years (2019–2021) were analyzed for CO2 production potential by microcosm experiments. Furthermore, quality and quantity of soil organic carbon and microbial function were tested. Results show that only the moderate precipitation rise of +40% induced a 66.2% increase of CO2 production potential for the microcosm experiments, whereas other data showed a weak impact. Consistently, soil respiration was also found to be strongest at +40%. The CO2 production potential is positively correlated with soil organic carbon, including carbon quantity and quality. But microbial diversity did not show any positive response to precipitation sizes. r-/K-strategy seemed to be a plausible explanation for biological factors. Overall, our finding reveal that a moderate precipitation increase, not decrease or a robust increase, in a saltmarsh is likely to improve soil organic carbon quality and quantity, and bacterial oligotroph:copiotroph ratio, ultimately leading to an enhanced CO2 production.

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Previous studies have revealed the close relationships between the intensity change and rainband distributions of tropical cyclones. However, their quantitative characteristics over the northwestern Pacific are yet to be revealed. In this paper, we used the CMA best track dataset and the GPM IMERG precipitation data from June to September 2000-2018. The tropical cyclones over the northwestern Pacific were classified into five categories, namely initiating, slowly strengthening, rapidly strengthening, stable, and weakening typhoons, respectively. The precipitation distribution as well as its changes for various types of tropical cyclones was studied based on a mobile cyclonic coordinate system. It is shown that the radial rainfall of initiating cyclones peaks at 10 km and 40 km away from cyclonic centers, respectively; the radial rainfall of rapidly strengthening cyclones peaks at 10 km and 30 km away from cyclonic centers, respectively; the radial precipitation distributions for both the slowly strengthening and weakening cyclones present a unimodal distribution, with the peaks appearing at 40 km, and 60 km to the centers, respectively. A significant positive correlation exists between the rainfall change of the inner rainband and cyclonic intensity change, whereas a negative correlation exists between the change of the outer rainband and cyclonic intensity change. Moreover, the precipitation changes in various azimuths of cyclonic centers respond differently to intensity change. Specifically, the decrease of precipitation in weakening cyclones mainly occurs on the west side, which is likely related to the cyclonic landing process. These findings could provide observational evidence for the model of tropical cyclones over the northwestern Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water availability is one of the factors affecting plant growth and development, especially in arid and semiarid environments. Changes in precipitation due climate change alter water availability to plants impacting on plant physiology. Numerous studies have focused on plant response to reduced precipitation and less on the effects of increased precipitation. The main objective of this study was to evaluate biophysical and physiological leaf traits in response to experimental water addition in four dominant shrubs and one grass species in a Patagonian steppe, during the dry season. The experiment consisted of two treatments: control and water addition, increasing the average annual rainfall by 25% during 6 years. We measured leaf wettability, water status, transpiration, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency and foliar water uptake (FWU). In addition, we determined the phenotypic plasticity index of these evaluated traits. We expected lower FWU and higher transpiration and photosynthesis rates due changes in leaf surface properties under water addition treatment. All study species responded significantly to treatment with higher loss of water per transpiration and lower FWU. Also, all species increased photosynthesis rate and water use efficiency (WUE). However, water potential and leaf wettability did not change with higher precipitation. Thus, higher phenotypic plasticity was observed in functional than in morphological traits. Since functional traits were more sensitive than leaf surface traits, plants may quickly take advantage when environmental conditions tend to be more favourable to growth. Our findings suggest that plants of Patagonian steppe have adaptive ability to respond to environmental changes through plastic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Precipitation plays an important role in crop production and soil greenhouse gas emissions. However, how crop yield and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission respond to precipitation change, particularly with different background precipitations (dry, normal, and wet years), has not been well investigated. In this study, we examined the impacts of precipitation changes on corn yield and soil N2O emission using a long-term (1981–2020, 40 years) climate dataset as well as seven manipulated precipitation treatments with different background precipitations using the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model. Results Results showed large variations of corn yield and precipitation but small variation of soil N2O emission among 40 years. Both corn yield and soil N2O emission showed near linear relationships with precipitation based on the long-term precipitation data, but with different response patters of corn yield and soil N2O emission to precipitation manipulations. Corn yield showed a positive linear response to precipitation manipulations in the dry year, but no response to increases in precipitation in the normal year, and a trend of decrease in the wet year. The extreme drought treatments reduced corn yield sharply in both normal and wet years. In contrast, soil N2O emission mostly responded linearly to precipitation manipulations. Decreases in precipitation in the dry year reduced more soil N2O emission than those in the normal and wet years, while increases in precipitation increased more soil N2O emission in the normal and wet years than in the dry year. Conclusions This study revealed different response patterns of corn yield and soil N2O emission to precipitation and highlights that mitigation strategy for soil N2O emission reduction should consider different background climate conditions.

Groundwater resources are closely related to climate change. Evaluating the groundwater deficit and its variation characteristics under climate change is necessary to understand the risk associated with enhanced groundwater recovery solutions and to provide supporting information for choosing the best technology and risk-reducing measures to implement. In this study, by using the CROPWAT model and copula theory, (1) we developed a groundwater deficit index (Gsci) for agricultural requirements that assesses the risk to groundwater resources imposed by precipitation changes on the North China Plain (NCP), and the four grades of Gsci were high deficit, moderate deficit, low deficit, and no deficit. (2) We estimated Gsci on the NCP for the period 1971–2020 by applying the climatic, soil, crop phenological, and hydrogeology data to the developed index. (3) The occurrence probability of each Gsci grade was evaluated. In the years with abundant precipitation, the occurrence probabilities of no-deficit events were 1, 0, 0, 0, 0.36, 0.56, and 0 on the Yanshan Plain, Taihang-Hebei Plain, Taihang-Henan Plain, Central-Hebei Plain, Central-Shandong Plain, Central-Henan Plain, and Coastal Plain, respectively. (4) The effective precipitation threshold for the occurrence of each Gsci grade was calculated, and the effective precipitation thresholds for the occurrence of no-deficit events were 495 mm, 595 mm, 525 mm, 400 mm, 455 mm, and 555 mm on the Taihang-Hebei Plain, Taihang-Henan Plain, Central-Hebei Plain, Central-Henan Plain, Central-Shandong Plain, and Coastal Plain, respectively. Our findings are useful for assessing the impacts of precipitation changes on groundwater resources and provide a further basis for the design of groundwater resource management strategies with respect to climate change, especially in water‐limited arid agricultural regions.

In the context of global climate change, changes in precipitation patterns will have profound effects on desert plants, particularly on shallow-rooted plants, such as ephemeral plants. Therefore, we conducted an experiment on artificial control of precipitation for four dominant ephemeral plants, Erodium oxyrhinchum, Alyssum linifolium, Malcolmia scorpioides, and Hyalea pulchella, in the southern edge of Gurbantunggut Desert. We measured the importance value and some growth parameters of the four species under increased or decreased precipitation and constructed trait correlation networks for each of the four species. We also compared the response of increased or decreased precipitation to vegetation coverage. The results show that drought significantly reduced the survival rate, seed production and weight, and aboveground biomass accumulation of ephemeral plants. The four ephemeral plants showed different tolerance and response strategies to precipitation changes. E. oxyrhinchum and M. scorpioides can avoid drought by accelerating life history, and E. oxyrhinchum, A. linifolium, and H. pulchella can alleviate the negative effects of drought by adjusting leaf traits. However, the response of different species to the wet treatment was not consistent. Based on the results of the trait correlation network, we consider A. linifolium belongs to the ruderal plant, E. oxyrhinchum and M. scorpioides belong to the competitive plants, and H. pulchella belongs to the stress-tolerant plant. The outstanding trait coordination ability of E. oxyrhinchum makes it show absolute dominance in the community. This indicate that ephemeral plants can adapt to precipitation changes to a certain extent, and that distinct competitive advantages in growth or reproduction enabled species coexistence in the same ecological niche. Nevertheless, drought significantly reduces their community cover and the ecological value of ephemeral plants. These findings established the basis to predict vegetation dynamics in arid areas under precipitation changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Uncertainties about the impacts of anthropogenic activities and climate change on forage nutrition storage of grasslands can limit the adaptive management of grasslands across the whole Tibetan Plateau. The main objective was to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic activities and climate change on the forage nutrition storage of grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Based on random forest models, we quantified the responses of forage nutrition storage to anthropogenic activities and climate change across the whole Tibetan grasslands from 2000 to 2020. Warming and increased precipitation did not always increase forage nutrition storage, and cooling and decreased precipitation did not always reduce forage nutrition storage. Compared to temperature and precipitation changes, radiation change had stronger contributions to potential and actual forage nutrition storage. Humankind's activities altered the impacts of climate change on forage nutrition storage. The impacts of anthropogenic activities on forage nutrition storage increased linearly with increasing mean annual temperature and decreasing elevation but showed quadratic relationships with longitude, mean annual precipitation and radiation. The change in the impacts of humankind's activities on forage nutrition storage was more closely related to radiation change than temperature and precipitation changes. The findings observed by this study caution that the impacts of radiation change on forage nutrition forage should be taken seriously under global change. Both climate change and humankind activities cannot always increase forage nutrition storage but may cause the degradation of forage nutrition storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Numerous dams have been built in China to develop hydropower, a sustainable and clean energy source. In recent years, the impact of dam construction on the regional climate has gradually attracted the attention of researchers. Aims: This study has evaluated the impact of large-scale dam construction on regional precipitation. Methods: This paper used the precipitation data of more than 2400 national stations of the China National Meteorological Information Center from 1990 to 2012. The regional precipitation data before and after the construction of the Xiaolangdi Dam and the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River were analysed using geostatistical tools. Wavelet transform and Yamamoto signal-to-noise ratio analysis were further adopted. Key results: Analysis of the variation points of precipitation characteristics confirmed the correlation between dam construction and regional precipitation; the precipitation values in the two dam study areas had an increasing trend after the completion of the dams, and the fitting trend line showed an obvious increasing trend. Conclusions: According to the analysis of precipitation variation points, it can be concluded that the establishment of the dam affected the precipitation in the area of ∼200 km upstream and increased the precipitation value in this area. The study showed that dam construction has a strong correlation with regional precipitation. Implications: It is speculated that the construction of super dams will have a greater impact on precipitation. The impact of dam construction on the regional climate has attracted great attention of researchers. This study evaluated the impact of a large-scale dam construction on regional precipitation. The regional precipitation data before and after the construction of the Xiaolangdi Dam and the Three Gorges Dam were analysed using geostatistical tools. It can be concluded that the establishment of the dam increased the precipitation value in this area. It is speculated that the larger dams will have greater precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trade-offs between key functional traits in plants have a decisive impact on biomass production. However, how precipitation and nutrient deposition affect the trade-offs in traits and, ultimately, productivity is still unclear. In the present study, a mesocosm experiment was conducted to explore the relationships between biomass production and the aboveground and belowground key functional traits and their trade-offs under changes in precipitation and nutrient depositions in Leymus chinensis, a monodominant perennial rhizome grass widespread in the eastern Eurasian steppe. Our results showed that moisture is the key factor regulating the effect of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition on increased biomass production. Under conditions of average precipitation, water use efficiency (WUE) was the key trait determining the biomass of L. chinensis. There were obvious trade-offs between WUE and leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf thickness, and leaf dry matter. Conversely, under increasing precipitation, the effect of restricted soil water on leaf traits was relieved; the key limiting trait changed from WUE to plant height. These findings indicate that the shift of fundamental traits of photosynthetic carbon gain induced by precipitation under N and P deposition is the key ecological driving mechanism for the biomass production of typical dominant species in semi-arid grassland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Precipitation plays an important role in crop production and soil greenhouse gas emissions. However, how crop yield and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission respond to precipitation change, particularly with different background precipitations (dry, normal, and wet years), has not been well investigated. In this study, we examined the impacts of precipitation changes on corn yield and soil N2O emission using a long-term (1981–2020, 40 years) climate dataset as well as seven manipulated precipitation treatments with different background precipitations using the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model. Results: Results showed large variations of corn yield and precipitation but small variation of soil N2O emission among 40 years. Both corn yield and soil N2O emission showed near linear relationships with precipitation based on the long-term precipitation data, but with different response patters of corn yield and soil N2O emission to precipitation manipulations. Corn yield showed a positive linear response to precipitation manipulations in the dry year, but no response to increases in precipitation in the normal year, and a trend of decrease in the wet year. The extreme drought treatments reduced corn yield sharply in both normal and wet years. In contrast, soil N2O emission mostly responded linearly to precipitation manipulations. Decreases in precipitation in the dry year reduced more soil N2O emission than those in the normal and wet years, while increases in precipitation increased more soil N2O emission in the normal and wet years than in the dry year. Conclusions: This study revealed different response patterns of corn yield and soil N2O emission to precipitation and highlights that mitigation strategy for soil N2O emission reduction should consider different background climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of climate change will not be homogeneous in all countries or between regions within each country. Mapping projected changes in temperature and precipitation is crucial for formulating region-specific agricultural adaptation measures. The spatial variation of projected changes in temperature and annual precipitation for 1970–2000 and 2041–2060 in Venezuela was analyzed using the WorldClim 2.1 data. Both variables have been analyzed in fourteen physiographic regions that differ in climate, geology, geomorphology, soils, and land use. The results reveal that western regions experience higher temperature increases, while the regions located in the east and center of the country are projected to experience greater decreases in rainfall. Likewise, temperature and precipitation will increase from north to south. Thus, there are differences in how different regions will be affected by variations in temperature and annual precipitation associated with climate change. It is concluded that physiographic regions can be used as large spatial units to plan future land use and design agricultural adaptation measures to climate change at the national scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Changes in precipitation profoundly affect ecological processes of steppe ecosystem. To predict the impact of climate changes on plant aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), it is necessary to understand the direct and indirect effects of precipitation changes on ANPP. Methods: In this study, a precipitation manipulation experiment (i.e., R100: ambient precipitation as a control, R50: 50% of ambient precipitation, R150: 150% of ambient precipitation) was conducted in 2017 in a typical steppe in the western Loess Plateau, China. The ANPP, below-ground biomass, species diversity, vegetation cover, and soil properties of natural grassland were determined in 2020. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to compare the relative contribution of plant and soil properties to ANPP. Results: We found that the vegetation cover, diversity index, community richness, and biomass were positively correlated with precipitation gradients; The soil moisture, soil available potassium (SAK), and soil total phosphorus were significantly affected by changing precipitation. Our findings revealed that changes in precipitation had a significant positive effect on ANPP, which was mainly mediated by community coverage according to SEM. Conclusion: Our results emphasize the importance of vegetation cover in driving the short-term response of ANPP to climate change in the typical steppe. The study is critical to understand the functioning and stability of grassland ecosystems under changing climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examine the impact of climate change on energy poverty, focusing on temperature deviations and precipitation changes. • Rising temperature deviations and precipitation increase the incidence and intensity of energy poverty. • Climate change impacts differ across income groups, regions, and between urban and rural areas. • Key mechanisms include changes in energy demand, labor shifts, and straw production. Climate change, characterized by fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, presents significant challenges to household welfare. This study offers novel insights into how climate change influences household energy poverty. Leveraging data from the 2015 and 2018 China General Social Survey, we apply clustering analysis and a pseudo-panel data model to investigate the effects of temperature and precipitation variations on both the incidence and intensity of household energy poverty, as well as the mechanisms driving these outcomes. Our findings reveal that climate change, manifested in widening temperature deviations and increasing precipitation, significantly heightens both the incidence and intensity of household energy poverty. Specifically, urban households and those in southern regions demonstrate greater vulnerability to amplifying temperature fluctuations, whereas rural households, northern residents, and low- to middle-income groups are more susceptible to the impacts of precipitation changes. Rising temperature deviations exacerbate energy poverty by driving up energy demand, while increased precipitation intensifies it by augmenting off-farm labor transfers. However, temperature and precipitation changes can also mitigate poverty by boosting crop yields. This study is the first to incorporate precipitation changes into the energy poverty discourse. The findings underscore the critical need to account for climate change when devising policies aimed at addressing household welfare loss and alleviating energy poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]