Humid, Warm and Treed Ecosystems Show Longer Time‐Lag of Vegetation Response to Climate

Abstract Climate‐vegetation interaction assessments often focus on vegetation response to concurrent climatic perturbations, seldom on the time‐lag effect of climate. Here we employ global satellite observations, climate data records and CO 2 flux measurements to calculate the time‐lag of vegetation response to climate. We analyze the time‐lags of various climate variables under distinct environmental conditions to gain insight into how the long‐term climatic regimes and tree cover influence the time‐lag effects. Our findings reveal that terrestrial ecosystems characterized by arid and cold climates show more concurrent climate‐vegetation interactions than other ecosystems. Whereas areas with higher tree cover and humid ecosystems with both high mean annual temperature and precipitation show substantial time‐lag response of vegetation to climate by up to 6 months. Since the global climate‐vegetation interaction is dominated by time‐lag effects, incorporating these effects is paramount to improve our understanding of vegetation dynamics under a changing climate. Plain Language Summary When studying how climate affects vegetation, many studies usually focus on immediate plant responses, without considering the long‐term effects of climate. In our study, we used satellite data to look at how plant photosynthesis and growth changed over time in response to concurrent and past climates. We found that in dry and cold areas, plants respond quickly to changes in climate. But in regions with high tree cover and humid climate, plant responses to climate can take up to 6 months. Understanding these delays is crucial for predicting how vegetation will respond as the climate changes around the world. Key Points Terrestrial ecosystems with higher tree cover respond to climate perturbation more slowly than grasslands and croplands Temperature consistently has more significant impacts on vegetation in the longer term than VPD and soil moisture Arid and cold ecosystems show shorter time‐lag responses of vegetation to climate