Open AccessProgressive forest canopy water loss during the 2012–2015 California drought
Author(s) -
Gregory P. Asner,
Philip G. Brodrick,
Christopher B. Anderson,
Nicholas R. Vaughn,
David Knapp,
Roberta E. Martin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.1523397113
Subject(s) - canopy , environmental science , water content , tree canopy , hydrology (agriculture) , snowpack , agroforestry , snow , forestry , geography , meteorology , geology , archaeology , geotechnical engineering
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.
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