The Arctic vegetation is more sensitive to heatwave-induced photosynthetic decline than other climate zones in Europe (2009–2017)

Abstract

Abstract This study shows that the photosynthesis of Arctic terrestrial plants is more vulnerable and sensitive to heatwaves’ impacts than plants in other European climate zones. The results of this study indicate distinct effects of heatwaves among different climate zones in Europe (2009–2017). The Arctic climate zone shows a steeper decline in photosynthesis during heatwaves, as revealed by geographically and temporally weighted regression analysis based on biophysical factors such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Leaf Area Index, compared to arid, temperate, and cold climate zones. As Arctic temperatures continue to rise, it would lead to photosynthetic inhibition from Arctic terrestrial plants, irreversibly turning them into one of the largest CO 2 sources. The results of this study are expected to be a valuable reference as they provide European-wide quantitative evidence that global warming has caused comparably stronger negative consequences on the photosynthetic physiology of plants living in the Arctic compared to other climatic zones.