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Runge K, Tucker M, Crowther TW, Fournier de Laurière C, Guirado E, Bialic‐Murphy L, Berdugo M. Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystem Resilience Using Earth Observation Data: Identifying Consensus and Limitations Across Metrics. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2025; 31:e70115. [PMID: 40066618 PMCID: PMC11894503 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2024] [Revised: 01/15/2025] [Accepted: 01/29/2025] [Indexed: 03/14/2025]
Abstract
Resilience is a key feature of ecosystem dynamics reflecting a system's ability to resist and recover from environmental perturbations. Slowing down in the rate of recovery has been used as an early-warning signal for abrupt transitions. Recent advances in Earth observation (EO) vegetation data provide the capability to capture broad-scale resilience patterns and identify regions experiencing resilience loss. However, the proliferation of methods for evaluating resilience using EO data has introduced significant uncertainty, leading to contradictory resilience estimates across approximately 73% of the Earth's land surface. To reconcile these perspectives, we review the range of methods and associated metrics that capture aspects of ecosystem resilience using EO data. Using a principal component analysis, we empirically test the relationships between the most widely used resilience metrics and explore emergent patterns within and among the world's biomes. Our analysis reveals that the 10 resilience metrics aggregate into four core components of ecosystem dynamics, highlighting the multidimensional nature of ecosystem resilience. We also find that ecosystems with slower recovery are more resistant to drought extremes. Furthermore, the relationships between resilience metrics vary across the world's biomes and vegetation types. These results illustrate the inherent differences in the dynamics of natural systems and highlight the need for careful consideration when evaluating broad-scale resilience patterns across biomes. Our findings provide valuable insights for identifying global resilience patterns, which are critically needed to inform policy decisions and guide conservation efforts globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Runge
- Institute of Integrative BiologyETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)ZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental SciencesRadboud UniversityNijmegenthe Netherlands
| | - Marlee Tucker
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental SciencesRadboud UniversityNijmegenthe Netherlands
| | - Thomas W. Crowther
- Institute of Integrative BiologyETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Camille Fournier de Laurière
- Institute of Integrative BiologyETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)ZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Humanities, Social and Political SciencesETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Emilio Guirado
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramon Margalef”Universidad de AlicanteSan Vicente del RaspeigSpain
| | - Lalasia Bialic‐Murphy
- Institute of Integrative BiologyETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Miguel Berdugo
- Institute of Integrative BiologyETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)ZurichSwitzerland
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónUniversidad Complutense de MadridMadridSpain
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Keppel G, Stralberg D, Morelli TL, Bátori Z. Managing climate-change refugia to prevent extinctions. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:800-808. [PMID: 39232275 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
Earth is facing simultaneous biodiversity and climate crises. Climate-change refugia - areas that are relatively buffered from climate change - can help address both of these problems by maintaining biodiversity components when the surrounding landscape no longer can. However, this capacity to support biodiversity is often vulnerable to severe climate change and other stressors. Thus, management actions need to consider the complex and multidimensional nature of refugia. We outline an approach to understand refugia-promoting processes and to evaluate refugial capacity to determine suitable management actions. Our framework applies climate-change refugia as tools to facilitate resistance in modern conservation planning. Such refugia-focused management can reduce extinctions and maintain biodiversity under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Keppel
- UniSA STEM and Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, SA 5001, Adelaide, Australia; AMAP, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France.
| | - Diana Stralberg
- Northern Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 5320 122 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5, Canada
| | - Toni Lyn Morelli
- Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, US Geological Survey, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Zoltán Bátori
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; MTA-SZTE 'Momentum' Applied Ecology Research Group, Közép fasor 52, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
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3
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Lenton TM, Abrams JF, Bartsch A, Bathiany S, Boulton CA, Buxton JE, Conversi A, Cunliffe AM, Hebden S, Lavergne T, Poulter B, Shepherd A, Smith T, Swingedouw D, Winkelmann R, Boers N. Remotely sensing potential climate change tipping points across scales. Nat Commun 2024; 15:343. [PMID: 38184618 PMCID: PMC10771461 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44609-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Potential climate tipping points pose a growing risk for societies, and policy is calling for improved anticipation of them. Satellite remote sensing can play a unique role in identifying and anticipating tipping phenomena across scales. Where satellite records are too short for temporal early warning of tipping points, complementary spatial indicators can leverage the exceptional spatial-temporal coverage of remotely sensed data to detect changing resilience of vulnerable systems. Combining Earth observation with Earth system models can improve process-based understanding of tipping points, their interactions, and potential tipping cascades. Such fine-resolution sensing can support climate tipping point risk management across scales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesse F Abrams
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Annett Bartsch
- b.geos GmbH, Industriestrasse 1A, 2100, Korneuburg, Austria
- Austrian Polar Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sebastian Bathiany
- Earth System Modelling, School of Engineering & Design, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | | | - Alessandra Conversi
- National Research Council of Italy, ISMAR-Lerici, Forte Santa Teresa, Loc. Pozzuolo, 19032, Lerici (SP), Italy
| | | | - Sophie Hebden
- Future Earth Secretariat, Stockholm, Sweden
- European Space Agency, ECSAT, Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
| | | | | | - Andrew Shepherd
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Taylor Smith
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Didier Swingedouw
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, 33600, Pessac, France
| | | | - Niklas Boers
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Earth System Modelling, School of Engineering & Design, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
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4
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Lenton TM, Buxton JE, Armstrong McKay DI, Abrams JF, Boulton CA, Lees K, Powell TWR, Boers N, Cunliffe AM, Dakos V. A resilience sensing system for the biosphere. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210383. [PMID: 35757883 PMCID: PMC9234808 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We are in a climate and ecological emergency, where climate change and direct anthropogenic interference with the biosphere are risking abrupt and/or irreversible changes that threaten our life-support systems. Efforts are underway to increase the resilience of some ecosystems that are under threat, yet collective awareness and action are modest at best. Here, we highlight the potential for a biosphere resilience sensing system to make it easier to see where things are going wrong, and to see whether deliberate efforts to make things better are working. We focus on global resilience sensing of the terrestrial biosphere at high spatial and temporal resolution through satellite remote sensing, utilizing the generic mathematical behaviour of complex systems-loss of resilience corresponds to slower recovery from perturbations, gain of resilience equates to faster recovery. We consider what subset of biosphere resilience remote sensing can monitor, critically reviewing existing studies. Then we present illustrative, global results for vegetation resilience and trends in resilience over the last 20 years, from both satellite data and model simulations. We close by discussing how resilience sensing nested across global, biome-ecoregion, and local ecosystem scales could aid management and governance at these different scales, and identify priorities for further work. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua E. Buxton
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
| | - David I. Armstrong McKay
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jesse F. Abrams
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
- Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
| | - Chris A. Boulton
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
| | - Kirsten Lees
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
| | | | - Niklas Boers
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
- School of Engineering and Design, Earth System Modelling, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Vasilis Dakos
- ISEM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Li D, Zhu X, Huang G, Feng H, Zhu S, Li X. A hybrid method for evaluating the resilience of urban road traffic network under flood disaster: An example of Nanjing, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:46306-46324. [PMID: 35167027 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19142-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urban road traffic network (URTN) plays an important role in city operation, while it is also suffered a lot from the urban flood disasters which caused negative impacts frequently, like traffic congestion, and road collapse. The function loss of URTN not only destroy normal urban life and work order, but also pose a serious threat to people's lives and properties. Therefore, it is urgent to quantitatively explore the flood resilience of URTN. The concept of resilience puts forward new ideas to help solve the problem of urban flooding disasters from a holistic view. Exploring the flood resilience of urban traffic network may help to mitigate urban flooding and improve the urban resilience. This paper developed a flood resilience evaluation model of URTN, which contains 26 indicators based on the 4R theory. A case study was conducted in southern China to validate the model with real data. It evaluated the urban flood resilience of road traffic network with a comparison of before and after reconstruction of the pipeline. The results demonstrated that the flood resilience of URTN is at a relatively low level in the study area, and the limitation of single traditional engineering measure to the flood resilience of URTN. Suggestions such as strengthening the citizen participation and enhancing the complementary capability of multiple engineering measures are proposed to further promote the flood resilience of the URTN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dezhi Li
- Department of Construction and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210018, China.
| | - Xiongwei Zhu
- Department of Construction and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210018, China
| | - Guanying Huang
- Department of Construction and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210018, China
| | - Haibo Feng
- Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Shiyao Zhu
- School of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Nantong University, Nanjing, 226007, China
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Construction and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210018, China
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Rogers A, Serbin SP, Way DA. Reducing model uncertainty of climate change impacts on high latitude carbon assimilation. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:1222-1247. [PMID: 34689389 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic-Boreal Region (ABR) has a large impact on global vegetation-atmosphere interactions and is experiencing markedly greater warming than the rest of the planet, a trend that is projected to continue with anticipated future emissions of CO2 . The ABR is a significant source of uncertainty in estimates of carbon uptake in terrestrial biosphere models such that reducing this uncertainty is critical for more accurately estimating global carbon cycling and understanding the response of the region to global change. Process representation and parameterization associated with gross primary productivity (GPP) drives a large amount of this model uncertainty, particularly within the next 50 years, where the response of existing vegetation to climate change will dominate estimates of GPP for the region. Here we review our current understanding and model representation of GPP in northern latitudes, focusing on vegetation composition, phenology, and physiology, and consider how climate change alters these three components. We highlight challenges in the ABR for predicting GPP, but also focus on the unique opportunities for advancing knowledge and model representation, particularly through the combination of remote sensing and traditional boots-on-the-ground science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair Rogers
- Environmental & Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Shawn P Serbin
- Environmental & Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Danielle A Way
- Environmental & Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Buxton JE, Abrams JF, Boulton CA, Barlow N, Rangel Smith C, Van Stroud S, Lees KJ, Lenton TM. Quantitatively monitoring the resilience of patterned vegetation in the Sahel. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:571-587. [PMID: 34653310 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Patterning of vegetation in drylands is a consequence of localized feedback mechanisms. Such feedbacks also determine ecosystem resilience-i.e. the ability to recover from perturbation. Hence, the patterning of vegetation has been hypothesized to be an indicator of resilience, that is, spots are less resilient than labyrinths. Previous studies have made this qualitative link and used models to quantitatively explore it, but few have quantitatively analysed available data to test the hypothesis. Here we provide methods for quantitatively monitoring the resilience of patterned vegetation, applied to 40 sites in the Sahel (a mix of previously identified and new ones). We show that an existing quantification of vegetation patterns in terms of a feature vector metric can effectively distinguish gaps, labyrinths, spots, and a novel category of spot-labyrinths at their maximum extent, whereas NDVI does not. The feature vector pattern metric correlates with mean precipitation. We then explored two approaches to measuring resilience. First we treated the rainy season as a perturbation and examined the subsequent rate of decay of patterns and NDVI as possible measures of resilience. This showed faster decay rates-conventionally interpreted as greater resilience-associated with wetter, more vegetated sites. Second we detrended the seasonal cycle and examined temporal autocorrelation and variance of the residuals as possible measures of resilience. Autocorrelation and variance of our pattern metric increase with declining mean precipitation, consistent with loss of resilience. Thus, drier sites appear less resilient, but we find no significant correlation between the mean or maximum value of the pattern metric (and associated morphological pattern types) and either of our measures of resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesse F Abrams
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | | | | | - Samuel Van Stroud
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kirsten J Lees
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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An Overview of Remote Sensing Data Applications in Peatland Research Based on Works from the Period 2010–2021. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land11010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In the 21st century, remote sensing (RS) has become increasingly employed in many environmental studies. This paper constitutes an overview of works utilising RS methods in studies on peatlands and investigates publications from the period 2010–2021. Based on fifty-nine case studies from different climatic zones (from subarctic to subtropical), we can indicate an increase in the use of RS methods in peatland research during the last decade, which is likely a result of the greater availability of new remote sensing data sets (Sentinel 1 and 2; Landsat 8; SPOT 6 and 7) paired with the rapid development of open-source software (ESA SNAP; QGIS and SAGA GIS). In the studied works, satellite data analyses typically encompassed the following elements: land classification/identification of peatlands, changes in water conditions in peatlands, monitoring of peatland state, peatland vegetation mapping, Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), and the estimation of carbon resources in peatlands. The most frequently employed research methods, on the other hand, included: vegetation indices, soil moisture indices, water indices, supervised classification and machine learning. Remote sensing data combined with field research is deemed helpful for peatland monitoring and multi-proxy studies, and they may offer new perspectives on research at a regional level.
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