Publication Abstracts

Lesk et al. 2022

Lesk, C., W. Anderson, A. Rigden, O. Coast, J. Jägermeyr, S. McDermid, K.F. Davis, and M. Konar, 2022: Compound heat and moisture extreme impacts on global crop yields under climate change. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 3, no. 12, 872-889, doi:10.1038/s43017-022-00368-8.

Extreme heat, drought and moisture excess are increasingly co-occurring within a single growing season, impacting crop yields in global breadbasket regions. In this Review, we synthesize understanding of compound heat and moisture extremes, their impacts on global crop yields and implications for adaptation. Heat and moisture extremes and their impacts become compounded through crop-physiological interactions, heat-moisture couplings in the climate system and crop-atmosphere interactions. Since around 2000, these compound extremes, and hot droughts in particular, have been linked to especially poor harvests (up to 30% yield losses) in regions such as India, Ethiopia, the USA, Europe and Russia. However, in some cases, combinations of crop stresses might generate compensating effects. Compound extremes are projected to increase in frequency and amplitude in the future, but, owing to the biophysical interdependence among temperature, water and crop physiology, the net yield effects of such future compound extremes remain uncertain. Accordingly, compound extremes will necessitate comprehensive agricultural adaptation strategies geared towards multi-stress resilience, as adaptations that work for single climate stresses could be maladaptive under combined stresses. An integrated understanding of heat and water in soil-plant-atmosphere dynamics is urgently needed to understand risks and suitably adapt cropping systems to compounding climate impacts.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{le04900q,
  author={Lesk, C. and Anderson, W. and Rigden, A. and Coast, O. and Jägermeyr, J. and McDermid, S. and Davis, K. F. and Konar, M.},
  title={Compound heat and moisture extreme impacts on global crop yields under climate change},
  year={2022},
  journal={Nature Reviews Earth & Environment},
  volume={3},
  number={12},
  pages={872--889},
  doi={10.1038/s43017-022-00368-8},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - le04900q
AU  - Lesk, C.
AU  - Anderson, W.
AU  - Rigden, A.
AU  - Coast, O.
AU  - Jägermeyr, J.
AU  - McDermid, S.
AU  - Davis, K. F.
AU  - Konar, M.
PY  - 2022
TI  - Compound heat and moisture extreme impacts on global crop yields under climate change
JA  - Nat. Rev. Earth Environ.
JO  - Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
VL  - 3
IS  - 12
SP  - 872
EP  - 889
DO  - 10.1038/s43017-022-00368-8
ER  -

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