European land CO2 sink influenced by NAO and East-Atlantic Pattern coupling

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: Bastos, Ana, Janssens, Ivan A., Gouveia, Célia M., Trigo, Ricardo M., Ciais, Philippe, Chevallier, Frédéric, Peñuelas, Josep, Rödenbeck, Christian, Piao, Shilong, Friedlingstein, Pierre, Running, Steven W.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Instituto Dom Luiz, Universidade de Lisboa = University of Lisbon (ULISBOA), Universiteit Antwerpen = University of Antwerpen Antwerpen, Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science Porto (INESC TEC), ICOS-ATC (ICOS-ATC), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Modélisation INVerse pour les mesures atmosphériques et SATellitaires (SATINV), CREAF - Centre for Ecological Research and Applied Forestries, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Max-Planck-Institut, Peking University Beijing, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences Exeter (EMPS), University of Exeter, Numerical Terradynamics Simulation Group, University of Montana
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01585006; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01585006/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01585006/file/ncomms10315.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10315

International audience Large-scale climate patterns control variability in the global carbon sink. In Europe, the North-Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) influences vegetation activity, however the East-Atlantic (EA) pattern is known to modulate NAO strength and location. Using observation-driven and modelled data sets, we show that multi-annual variability patterns of European Net Biome Productivity (NBP) are linked to anomalies in heat and water transport controlled by the NAO-EA interplay. Enhanced NBP occurs when NAO and EA are both in negative phase, associated with cool summers with wet soils which enhance photosynthesis. During anti-phase periods, NBP is reduced through distinct impacts of climate anomalies in photosynthesis and respiration. The predominance of anti-phase years in the early 2000s may explain the European-wide reduction of carbon uptake during this period, reported in previous studies. Results show that improving the capability of simulating atmospheric circulation patterns may better constrain regional carbon sink variability in coupled carbon-climate models.