Climate Constrains the Enhancement of CO₂ Fertilization on Forest Gross Primary Productivity

Authors

Xinyuan Wei, University of Maine
Daniel J. Hayes, University of Maine
Christopher R. Schwalm, Woodwell Climate Research Center
Joshua B. Fisher, Chapman UniversityFollow
Deborah N. Huntzinger, Northern Arizona University
Lei Ma, University of Maryland
Rodrigo Vargas, University of Delaware
Nathaniel A. Brunsell, University of Kansas

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-13-2025

Abstract

Forest gross primary production (GPP) is influenced by the interplay between climate conditions and atmospheric CO₂ levels, which interact in complex ways, generating both compensating and amplifying effects. In this study, eddy covariance flux measurements from 50 forest ecosystems were integrated with simulations from 14 terrestrial biosphere models to investigate how climate conditions and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations regulate forest GPP. This approach bridges site-level observations with biome-scale model estimates to develop a global understanding. Our findings suggest that in boreal and cold temperate regions, temperature primarily constrains the enhancement of the CO₂ fertilization on forest GPP; however, warming and higher atmospheric CO₂ levels are projected to alleviate these limitations. In tropical forests, CO₂ fertilization strongly enhances GPP, but this benefit will be counterbalanced by the adverse impacts of projected climate warming. Consequently, the interplay between climate and atmospheric CO₂ in affecting forest GPP is dynamic and subject to continual change.

Comments

This article was originally published in Environmental Research Letters, volume 20, in 2025. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/add177

Recommended Citation

Xinyuan Wei et al 2025 Environ. Res. Lett. 20 064013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/add177

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.