Mutual interactions of vegetation–atmosphere coupling during extreme conditions

Determine the mutual interactions within the two-directional coupling between vegetation and the atmosphere during extreme climatic conditions, characterizing how vegetation-regulated turbulent fluxes, atmospheric boundary-layer processes, and associated feedbacks co-evolve under extremes to influence cloud formation, humidity, and temperature.

Background

The paper explains that vegetation influences the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) through control of turbulent heat and moisture fluxes, entrainment of air from the free troposphere, stomatal regulation, and emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), all of which affect cloud formation and radiation. These processes are bidirectional: atmospheric conditions in turn regulate vegetation activity and flux partitioning between latent and sensible heat.

While these interactions are increasingly studied under typical conditions, the paper highlights that their mutual interactions during extreme events (e.g., droughts and heatwaves) are not well understood. Resolving this gap requires integrated field campaigns and modeling that jointly represent soil, canopy, and atmospheric processes across scales.