Biogeosciences
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Articles | Volume 18, issue 18
Articles | Volume 18, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5223-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5223-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 18, issue 18
BG Letters
 | Highlight paper
 | 
27 Sep 2021
BG Letters | Highlight paper |  | 27 Sep 2021

Persistent impacts of the 2018 drought on forest disturbance regimes in Europe

Cornelius Senf and Rupert Seidl

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Cited articles

Albrich, K., Rammer, W., and Seidl, R.: Climate change causes critical transitions and irreversible alterations of mountain forests, Glob. Change Biol., 26, 4013–4027, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15118, 2020. 
Allen, C. D., Breshears, D. D., and McDowell, N. G.: On underestimation of global vulnerability to tree mortality and forest die-off from hotter drought in the Anthropocene, Ecosphere, 6, 129, https://doi.org/10.1890/Es15-00203.1, 2015. 
Anderegg, W. R. L., Kane, J. M., and Anderegg, L. D. L.: Consequences of widespread tree mortality triggered by drought and temperature stress, Nat. Clim. Change, 3, 30–36, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1635, 2012. 
Ault, T. R.: On the essentials of drought in a changing climate, Science, 368, 256, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz5492, 2020. 
Bastos, A., Ciais, P., Friedlingstein, P., Sitch, S., Pongratz, J., Fan, L., Wigneron, J. P., Weber, U., Reichstein, M., Fu, Z., Anthoni, P., Arneth, A., Haverd, V., Jain, A. K., Joetzjer, E., Knauer, J., Lienert, S., Loughran, T., McGuire, P. C., Tian, H., Viovy, N., and Zaehle, S.: Direct and seasonal legacy effects of the 2018 heat wave and drought on European ecosystem productivity, Sci. Adv., 6, eaba2724, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba2724, 2020. 
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Europe was affected by an extreme drought in 2018. We show that this drought has increased forest disturbances across Europe, especially central and eastern Europe. Disturbance levels observed 2018–2020 were the highest on record for 30 years. Increased forest disturbances were correlated with low moisture and high atmospheric water demand. The unprecedented impacts of the 2018 drought on forest disturbances demonstrate an urgent need to adapt Europe’s forests to a hotter and drier future.
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