Long-term biomass growth unimpeded by short-term photosynthetic decoupling.
Long-term woody biomass growth remains proportional to photosynthesis despite weak short-term correlations, indicating decoupling does not limit biomass accumulation.
- Why it matters: Understanding whether short-term decoupling reflects sink limitation is crucial for predicting forest responses to climate change and carbon cycle feedbacks.
- What they did: Using long-term flux tower data and a global vegetation model ensemble, the study analyzed relationships between photosynthesis and woody biomass growth from 1951 to 2020.
- The result: Findings show woody biomass increased in line with photosynthesis over decades, suggesting sink limitation is less common than previously thought and cautioning against inferring control from short-term observations.