Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2545-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-2545-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 15 Apr 2026
| 15 Apr 2026
Higher tree diversity reduces the likelihood of Amazon tipping points
Johanna Van Passel
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
Q-ForestLab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
Koenraad Van Meerbeek
Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
KU Leuven Plant Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
Paulo Negri Bernardino
Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
Department of Plant Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas-SP, 13083-970, Brazil
Wanda De Keersmaecker
Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, 2400, Belgium
Stef Lhermitte
Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
Department Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2600, the Netherlands
Bianca Fazio Rius
Earth System Science Laboratory, Center for Meteorological and Climatic Research Applied to Agriculture, University of Campinas, Campinas-SP, 13083-970, Brazil
Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Laboratory, Department of Physics, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil
Ben Somers
Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
KU Leuven Plant Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
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Wanda De Keersmaecker, Astrid Verhegghen, Luc Bertels, Cornelius Senf, Alba Viana-Soto, Pieter Johannes Verkerk, Daniele Zanaga, and Ruben Van De Kerchove
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-329, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-329, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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In this study, we model the canopy height of woody vegetation across Europe at a spatial resolution of 10 m for the year 2020, using Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data. In addition, an independent validation dataset based on airborne LiDAR data — comprising about 3,700 patches of 640 × 640 m distributed across Europe — has been prepared. Comparisons with existing publicly available canopy height products indicate that our estimates are competitive with other canopy height datasets.
Celia A. Baumhoer, Jonas Koehler, Bert Wouters, Stef Lhermitte, Andreas J. Dietz, and Claudia Kuenzer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-569, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-569, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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PolarLakes is a new open dataset tracking meltwater lakes on Antarctic ice shelves every two weeks from 2015–2024. Using AI and satellite data from different sensors the monitoring of lakes is improved even during cloudy conditions. The record shows significant variations in ponding and lake formation, with a continent-wide peak occurring in 2020 within the observed period. To end, the PolarLakes dataset helps us to better understand the dynamics of surface hydrology in Antarctica.
Shashwat Shukla, Bert Wouters, Sanne Veldhuijsen, Sophie de Roda Husman, Weiran Li, and Stef Lhermitte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1263, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1263, 2026
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Antarctic ice shelves help slow ice flow into the ocean, but their stability depends partly on the upper firn layer. Air in firn affects how much meltwater can be stored, while grain size helps describe firn structure. We combined fifteen years of satellite radar data with physical models to estimate these properties across Antarctic ice shelves. Our results provide a new way to monitor conditions linked to meltwater build-up and possible instability.
Charlotte Braat, Stef Lhermitte, Marie Claire ten Veldhuis, Rolf Hut, and Ruud van der Ent
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1439, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1439, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Observation (EO).
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Deforestation influences the regional and global water cycle. In this paper, deforestation data is combined with data that links rainfall to where this water evaporated. We estimate to what extent rainfall in the region is potentially impacted by deforestation elsewhere. We find that most regions are mostly impacted by deforestation outside of the region. We could not yet confirm a generic link with actual rainfall due to limitations, complex system interactions and region specific dynamics.
Thore Kausch, Stef Lhermitte, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Eric Keenan, and Shashwat Shukla
The Cryosphere, 20, 511–526, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-511-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-511-2026, 2026
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Determining the net balance of snow accumulation on the surface of Antarctica is challenging. Sentinel-1 satellite sensors, which can see through snow, offer a promising method. However, linking their signals to snow amounts is complex due to snow's internal structure and limited on-the-ground data. This study found a connection between satellite signals and snow levels at three locations in Dronning Maud Land. Using models and field data, the method shows potential for wider use in Antarctica.
Simon Besnard, Alba Viana-Soto, Henrik Hartmann, Marco Patacca, Viola H. A. Heinrich, Katja Kowalski, Maurizio Santoro, Wanda De Keersmaecker, Ruben Van De Kerchove, Martin Herold, and Cornelius Senf
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6288, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6288, 2025
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Europe’s forests store vast amounts of carbon, but climate-driven disturbances are becoming more frequent. By combining satellite records with information on forest age and structure, we show that recent disturbances increasingly affect the oldest and most carbon-rich forests, particularly spruce forests in Central Europe. This emerging pattern puts long-accumulated carbon at risk and may reduce the long-term climate benefits provided by Europe’s forests.
Julius Sommer, Maaike Izeboud, Sophie de Roda Husman, Bert Wouters, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 19, 5903–5912, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5903-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5903-2025, 2025
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Ice shelves, the floating extensions of Antarctica’s ice sheet, play a crucial role in preventing mass ice loss, and understanding their stability is crucial. If surface meltwater lakes drain rapidly through fractures, the ice shelf can destabilize. We analyzed satellite images of four years from the Shackleton Ice Shelf and found that lake drainages occurred in areas where damage is present and developing, and coincided with rising tides, offering insights into the drivers of this process.
Ann-Sofie P. Zinck, Bert Wouters, Franka Jesse, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 19, 5509–5529, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5509-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5509-2025, 2025
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Ocean-driven basal melting of ice shelves can carve channels into the ice shelf base. These channels represent potential weak areas of the ice shelf. On George VI Ice shelf we discover a new channel which onset coincides with the 2015 El-Nino Southern Oscillation event. Since the channel has developed rapidly and is located within a highly channelized area close to the ice shelf front it poses a potential thread of ice shelf retreat.
Filippo Emilio Scarsi, Alessandro Battaglia, Maximilian Maahn, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 19, 4875–4892, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4875-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4875-2025, 2025
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Snowfall measurements at high latitudes are crucial for estimating ice sheet mass balance. Spaceborne radar and radiometer missions help estimate snowfall but face uncertainties. This work evaluates uncertainties in snowfall estimates from a fixed near-nadir radar (CloudSat-like) and a conically scanning radar (WIVERN-like), showing that a WIVERN-like radar will provide better estimates than a CloudSat-like radar at smaller spatial and temporal scales.
Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, Bert Wouters, Cornelis Slobbe, Max Brils, and Xavier Fettweis
The Cryosphere, 19, 3419–3442, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3419-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3419-2025, 2025
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Due to recurrent melt and refreezing events in recent decades, the snow conditions over Greenland have changed. To observe this, we use a parameter (leading edge width; LeW) derived from satellite altimetry and analyse its spatial and temporal variations. By comparing the LeW variations with modelled firn parameters, we concluded that the 2012 melt event and the recent and increasingly frequent melt events have a long-lasting impact on the volume scattering of Greenland firn.
Sofie Van Winckel, Jonas Simons, Stef Lhermitte, and Bart Muys
Biogeosciences, 22, 4291–4307, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4291-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-4291-2025, 2025
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Insights on management's impact on forest carbon stocks are crucial for sustainable forest management practices. However, accurately monitoring carbon stocks remains a technological challenge. This study estimates above-ground carbon stock in managed and unmanaged forests using passive optical, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and light detection and ranging (lidar) remote sensing data. Results show promising potential in using multiple remote sensing predictors and publicly available high-resolution data for mapping forest carbon stocks.
Weiran Li, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 19, 37–61, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-37-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-37-2025, 2025
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This study used a machine learning approach to estimate the densities over the Antarctic Ice Sheet, particularly in the areas where the snow is usually dry. The motivation is to establish a link between satellite parameters to snow densities, as measurements are difficult for people to take on site. It provides valuable insights into the complexities of the relationship between satellite parameters and firn density and provides potential for further studies.
Lena G. Buth, Valeria Di Biase, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Stef Lhermitte, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Sophie de Roda Husman, Michiel R. van den Broeke, and Bert Wouters
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2000, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2000, 2023
Preprint archived
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Liquid meltwater which is stored in air bubbles in the compacted snow near the surface of Antarctica can affect ice shelf stability. In order to detect the presence of such firn aquifers over large scales, satellite remote sensing is needed. In this paper, we present our new detection method using radar satellite data as well as the results for the whole Antarctic Peninsula. Firn aquifers are found in the north and northwest of the peninsula, in agreement with locations predicted by models.
Ann-Sofie Priergaard Zinck, Bert Wouters, Erwin Lambert, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 17, 3785–3801, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3785-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3785-2023, 2023
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The ice shelves in Antarctica are melting from below, which puts their stability at risk. Therefore, it is important to observe how much and where they are melting. In this study we use high-resolution satellite imagery to derive 50 m resolution basal melt rates of the Dotson Ice Shelf. With the high resolution of our product we are able to uncover small-scale features which may in the future help us to understand the state and fate of the Antarctic ice shelves and their (in)stability.
Diana Francis, Ricardo Fonseca, Kyle S. Mattingly, Stef Lhermitte, and Catherine Walker
The Cryosphere, 17, 3041–3062, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3041-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3041-2023, 2023
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Role of Foehn Winds in ice and snow conditions at the Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica.
Eva Beele, Maarten Reyniers, Raf Aerts, and Ben Somers
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4681–4717, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4681-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4681-2022, 2022
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This paper presents crowdsourced data from the Leuven.cool network, a citizen science network of around 100 low-cost weather stations distributed across Leuven, Belgium. The temperature data have undergone a quality control (QC) and correction procedure. The procedure consists of three levels that remove implausible measurements while also correcting for between-station and station-specific temperature biases.
Lena G. Buth, Bert Wouters, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Stef Lhermitte, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-127, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-127, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Liquid meltwater which is stored in air bubbles in the compacted snow near the surface of Antarctica can affect ice shelf stability. In order to detect the presence of such firn aquifers over large scales, satellite remote sensing is needed. In this paper, we present our new detection method using radar satellite data as well as the results for the whole Antarctic Peninsula. Firn aquifers are found in the north and northwest of the peninsula, in agreement with locations predicted by models.
Weiran Li, Cornelis Slobbe, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 16, 2225–2243, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2225-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2225-2022, 2022
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This study proposes a new method for correcting the slope-induced errors in satellite radar altimetry. The slope-induced errors can significantly affect the height estimations of ice sheets if left uncorrected. This study applies the method to radar altimetry data (CryoSat-2) and compares the performance with two existing methods. The performance is assessed by comparison with independent height measurements from ICESat-2. The assessment shows that the method performs promisingly.
Zhongyang Hu, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Stef Lhermitte, Maaike Izeboud, and Michiel van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 15, 5639–5658, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5639-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5639-2021, 2021
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Antarctica is shrinking, and part of the mass loss is caused by higher temperatures leading to more snowmelt. We use computer models to estimate the amount of melt, but this can be inaccurate – specifically in the areas with the most melt. This is because the model cannot account for small, darker areas like rocks or darker ice. Thus, we trained a computer using artificial intelligence and satellite images that showed these darker areas. The model computed an improved estimate of melt.
Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, and Paco López-Dekker
The Cryosphere, 15, 5309–5322, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5309-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5309-2021, 2021
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Surface meltwater lakes have been observed on several Antarctic ice shelves in field studies and optical images. Meltwater lakes can drain and refreeze, increasing the fragility of the ice shelves. The combination of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter and interferometric information (InSAR) can provide the cryosphere community with the possibility to continuously assess the dynamics of the meltwater lakes, potentially helping to facilitate the study of ice shelves in a changing climate.
Annelies Voordendag, Marion Réveillet, Shelley MacDonell, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 15, 4241–4259, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4241-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4241-2021, 2021
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The sensitivity of two snow models (SNOWPACK and SnowModel) to various parameterizations and atmospheric forcing biases is assessed in the semi-arid Andes of Chile in winter 2017. Models show that sublimation is a main driver of ablation and that its relative contribution to total ablation is highly sensitive to the selected albedo parameterization and snow roughness length. The forcing and parameterizations are more important than the model choice, despite differences in physical complexity.
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Short summary
The Amazon forest is important for carbon storage, but climate change might push parts of it towards a tipping point into a degraded state. By studying satellite trends and tree diversity across different spatial scales, we found a larger tipping risk at smaller spatial scales than for the whole region. We also found that higher tree diversity makes the forest more stable and thus less likely to tip, although the effect is relatively weak, highlighting the importance of protecting biodiversity.
The Amazon forest is important for carbon storage, but climate change might push parts of it...
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