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| Titel |
A vital link: water and vegetation in the Anthropocene |
| VerfasserIn |
D. Gerten |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1027-5606
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ; 17, no. 10 ; Nr. 17, no. 10 (2013-10-09), S.3841-3852 |
| Datensatznummer |
250085949
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/hess-17-3841-2013.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| This paper argues that the interplay of water, carbon and vegetation
dynamics fundamentally links some global trends in the current and
conceivable future Anthropocene, such as cropland expansion, freshwater use,
and climate change and its impacts. Based on a review of recent literature
including geographically explicit simulation studies with the process-based
LPJmL global biosphere model, it demonstrates that the connectivity of water
and vegetation dynamics is vital for water security, food security and
(terrestrial) ecosystem dynamics alike. The water limitation of net primary
production of both natural and agricultural plants – already pronounced in
many regions – is shown to increase in many places under projected climate
change, though this development is partially offset by water-saving direct
CO2 effects. Natural vegetation can to some degree adapt dynamically to
higher water limitation, but agricultural crops usually require some form of
active management to overcome it – among them irrigation, soil conservation
and eventually shifts of cropland to areas that are less water-limited due
to more favourable climatic conditions. While crucial to secure food
production for a growing world population, such human interventions in
water–vegetation systems have, as also shown, repercussions on the water
cycle. Indeed, land use changes are shown to be the second-most important
influence on the terrestrial water balance in recent times. Furthermore,
climate change (warming and precipitation changes) will in many regions
increase irrigation demand and decrease water availability, impeding
rainfed and irrigated food production (if not CO2 effects
counterbalance this impact – which is unlikely at least in poorly managed
systems). Drawing from these exemplary investigations, some research
perspectives on how to further improve our knowledge of
human–water–vegetation interactions in the Anthropocene are outlined. |
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