---
chapter:
  doi: 10.7930/J0416V6X
  identifier: land-cover
  number: 10
  report_identifier: climate-science-special-report
  sort_key: 12
  title: Changes in Land Cover and Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
  url: https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/10/
chapter_identifier: land-cover
cited_by: []
confidence: ~
contributors: []
evidence: 'From the perspective of the land biosphere, drought has strong effects on ecosystem productivity and carbon storage by reducing microbial activity and photosynthesis and by increasing the risk of wildfire, pest infestation, and disease susceptibility. Thus, future droughts will affect carbon uptake and storage, leading to feedbacks to the climate system.<tbib>440379ab-fe10-4c0b-b652-7107ba91f4c2</tbib> Reduced productivity as a result of extreme drought events can also extend for several years post-drought (i.e., drought legacy effects).<tbib>95a21b96-f699-4b5c-8281-e1d6e2c8398f</tbib><sup>,</sup><tbib>04604a57-6638-4154-bc44-6e0997d727f4</tbib><sup>,</sup><tbib>abe49f4d-90c4-40e2-a4b9-a58158c00560</tbib> Under increased CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations, plants have been observed to optimize water use due to reduced stomatal conductance, thereby increasing water-use efficiency.<tbib>3b6c1b16-374c-4201-82e2-d7126fbb47de</tbib> This change in water-use efficiency can affect plants’ tolerance to stress and specifically to drought.<tbib>b673e746-6eca-4b77-8a62-e1ae9ed6380a</tbib> <br><br> Recent severe droughts in the western United States (Texas and California) have led to significant mortality and carbon cycle dynamics (http://www.fire.ca.gov/treetaskforce/).<tbib>f1380bfc-e39d-43d9-87d6-dfcff35fa7fb</tbib><sup>,</sup><tbib>e126059c-67f3-4522-8381-ae2499296312</tbib> Carbon redistribution through mortality in the Texas drought was around 36% of global carbon losses due to deforestation and land use change.<tbib>7316c70f-6b67-4a68-a23a-c9d9f604c003</tbib>'
files: []
gcmd_keywords: []
href: https://data.globalchange.gov/report/climate-science-special-report/chapter/land-cover/finding/key-finding-10-2.yaml
identifier: key-finding-10-2
ordinal: 2
parents:
  - activity_uri: ~
    label: 'figure -.2: Confidence / Likelihood'
    note: ''
    publication_type_identifier: figure
    relationship: prov:wasDerivedFrom
    url: /report/climate-science-special-report/chapter/front-matter/figure/confidence---likelihood
process: 'The timing, frequency, magnitude, and extent of climate extremes strongly influence plant community structure and function, with subsequent effects on terrestrial biogeochemistry and feedbacks to the climate system. Future interactions between land cover and the climate system are uncertain and depend on human land-use decisions, the evolution of the climate system, and the timing, frequency, magnitude, and extent of climate extremes.'
references:
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/04604a57-6638-4154-bc44-6e0997d727f4.yaml
    uri: /reference/04604a57-6638-4154-bc44-6e0997d727f4
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/3b6c1b16-374c-4201-82e2-d7126fbb47de.yaml
    uri: /reference/3b6c1b16-374c-4201-82e2-d7126fbb47de
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/440379ab-fe10-4c0b-b652-7107ba91f4c2.yaml
    uri: /reference/440379ab-fe10-4c0b-b652-7107ba91f4c2
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/7316c70f-6b67-4a68-a23a-c9d9f604c003.yaml
    uri: /reference/7316c70f-6b67-4a68-a23a-c9d9f604c003
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/95a21b96-f699-4b5c-8281-e1d6e2c8398f.yaml
    uri: /reference/95a21b96-f699-4b5c-8281-e1d6e2c8398f
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/abe49f4d-90c4-40e2-a4b9-a58158c00560.yaml
    uri: /reference/abe49f4d-90c4-40e2-a4b9-a58158c00560
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/b673e746-6eca-4b77-8a62-e1ae9ed6380a.yaml
    uri: /reference/b673e746-6eca-4b77-8a62-e1ae9ed6380a
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/e126059c-67f3-4522-8381-ae2499296312.yaml
    uri: /reference/e126059c-67f3-4522-8381-ae2499296312
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/e5b9d663-1638-464a-aa71-bfef43b6c4d1.yaml
    uri: /reference/e5b9d663-1638-464a-aa71-bfef43b6c4d1
  - href: https://data.globalchange.gov/reference/f1380bfc-e39d-43d9-87d6-dfcff35fa7fb.yaml
    uri: /reference/f1380bfc-e39d-43d9-87d6-dfcff35fa7fb
regions: []
report_identifier: climate-science-special-report
statement: 'Climate change and induced changes in the frequency and magnitude of extreme events (e.g., droughts, floods, and heat waves) have led to large changes in plant community structure with subsequent effects on the biogeochemistry of terrestrial ecosystems. Uncertainties about how climate change will affect land cover change make it difficult to project the magnitude and sign of future climate feedbacks from land cover changes (<em>high confidence</em>)'
uncertainties: 'Major uncertainties include how future land-use/land-cover changes will occur as a result of policy and/or mitigation strategies in addition to climate change. Ecosystem responses to phenological changes are strongly dependent on the timing of climate extremes.<tbib>e5b9d663-1638-464a-aa71-bfef43b6c4d1</tbib> Due to the complex interactions of the processes that govern terrestrial biogeochemical cycling, terrestrial ecosystem response to increasing CO<sub>2</sub> levels remains one of the largest uncertainties in long-term climate feedbacks and therefore in predicting longer-term climate change effects on ecosystems (e.g., Swann et al. 2016<tbib>b673e746-6eca-4b77-8a62-e1ae9ed6380a</tbib>).'
uri: /report/climate-science-special-report/chapter/land-cover/finding/key-finding-10-2
url: ~