Articles | Volume 20, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4259-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4259-2023
Research article
 | 
18 Oct 2023
Research article |  | 18 Oct 2023

Above-treeline ecosystems facing drought: lessons from the 2022 European summer heat wave

Philippe Choler

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Cited articles

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Short summary
The year 2022 was unique in that the summer heat wave and drought led to a widespread reduction in vegetation growth at high elevation in the European Alps. This impact was unprecedented in the southwestern, warm, and dry part of the Alps. Over the last 2 decades, water has become a co-dominant control of vegetation activity in areas that were, so far, primarily controlled by temperature, and the growth of mountain grasslands has become increasingly sensitive to moisture availability.
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