Progressive forest canopy water loss during the 2012–2015 California drought

The 2012–2015 drought has left California with severely reduced snowpack, soil moisture, ground water, and reservoir stocks, but the impact of this estimated millennial-scale event on forest health is unknown. We used airborne laser-guided spectroscopy and satellite-based models to assess losses in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 113; no. 2; pp. E249 - E255
Main Authors:	Asner, Gregory P., Brodrick, Philip G., Anderson, Christopher B., Vaughn, Nicholas, Knapp, David E., Martin, Roberta E.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States National Academy of Sciences 12-01-2016 National Acad Sciences
Series:	From the Cover
Subjects:	Biological Sciences California Climate Change Desiccation Drought Droughts Forests Geography Imaging, Three-Dimensional Moisture content Plant Leaves - physiology PNAS Plus Spectrum analysis Trees Water Water supply California INE, USA, California forest health drought imaging spectroscopy canopy water climate change
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Summary:	The 2012–2015 drought has left California with severely reduced snowpack, soil moisture, ground water, and reservoir stocks, but the impact of this estimated millennial-scale event on forest health is unknown. We used airborne laser-guided spectroscopy and satellite-based models to assess losses in canopy water content of California’s forests between 2011 and 2015. Approximately 10.6 million ha of forest containing up to 888 million large trees experienced measurable loss in canopy water content during this drought period. Severe canopy water losses of greater than 30% occurred over 1 million ha, affecting up to 58 million large trees. Our measurements exclude forests affected by fire between 2011 and 2015. If drought conditions continue or reoccur, even with temporary reprieves such as El Niño, we predict substantial future forest change.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Author contributions: G.P.A. designed research; G.P.A., P.G.B., C.B.A., N.V., D.E.K., and R.E.M. performed research; G.P.A., P.G.B., C.B.A., N.V., D.E.K., and R.E.M. analyzed data; and G.P.A., P.G.B., and R.E.M. wrote the paper. Contributed by Gregory P. Asner, November 30, 2015 (sent for review November 10, 2015); reviewed by Craig D. Allen and Robert Green Reviewers: C.D.A., US Geological Survey; and R.G., Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
ISSN:	0027-8424 1091-6490
DOI:	10.1073/pnas.1523397113