Sustained global greening driven by continuous CO2 fertilization

Sustained global greening driven by continuous CO2 fertilization | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Sustained global greening driven by continuous CO2 fertilization Sungchan Jeong, Youngryel Ryu, Pierre Gentine, Xu Lian, Jianing Fang, and 10 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8621169/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Global greening and browning, as evidenced by changes in leaf area index (LAI) derived from satellite observations, indicate how ecosystems respond to rising atmospheric CO 2 , climate change, and human interventions. However, uncertainties in satellite LAI records have led to conflicting conclusions about global trends and their drivers. Here, by developing a refined Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer LAI dataset with reduced radiometric and geometric uncertainties, we find a sustained global greening during 1982–2021 (0.035 m 2 m –2 decade –1 ). Global greening is largely driven by the continuous CO 2 fertilization (1982–2001: 72%; 2002–2021: 77%), while land-use management determines regional patterns. An ensemble of 15 Earth system models also simulates persistent greening (0.050 ± 0.044 m 2 m –2 decade –1 ), but fails to reproduce the observed spatial patterns of greening and drivers. These findings provide observational evidence for sustained global greening, with no clear signs of slowing CO 2 fertilization effect under current CO 2 and climatic conditions. Greening Fertilization effects Leaf area index Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files CFESupplementarysubmission.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8621169","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":576025063,"identity":"d774f39c-909a-43f3-bc32-607ff0561792","order_by":0,"name":"Sungchan Jeong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sungchan","middleName":"","lastName":"Jeong","suffix":""},{"id":576025064,"identity":"8d38fe76-326f-4ebd-af32-ec9d9f010734","order_by":1,"name":"Youngryel 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However, uncertainties in satellite LAI records have led to conflicting conclusions about global trends and their drivers. Here, by developing a refined Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer LAI dataset with reduced radiometric and geometric uncertainties, we find a sustained global greening during 1982–2021 (0.035 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e m\u003csup\u003e–2 \u003c/sup\u003edecade\u003csup\u003e–1\u003c/sup\u003e). Global greening is largely driven by the continuous CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e fertilization (1982–2001: 72%; 2002–2021: 77%), while land-use management determines regional patterns. An ensemble of 15 Earth system models also simulates persistent greening (0.050 ± 0.044 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e m\u003csup\u003e–2 \u003c/sup\u003edecade\u003csup\u003e–1\u003c/sup\u003e), but fails to reproduce the observed spatial patterns of greening and drivers. 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