Divergent Response of Vegetation Growth to Soil Water Availability in Dry and Wet Periods Over Central Asia

Vegetation growth is interactively controlled by hydrothermal conditions and the associated biophysiological changes. These factors have experienced dramatic changes over past decades in Central Asia, where vegetation primarily constrained soil water availability. However, we limited understanding of time scales underlying drivers for responses to variations availability between wet dry periods. Here, explored response decadal-scale hydroclimatic versus periods, during 1992–2015, using remote sensing retrievals normalized difference index multiple climate factors. We discovered divergent availability, measured moisture content (SM), with spatiotemporally intensified correlation SM period. revealed a unanimous 1-month lag period, contrary much longer lags more spatially heterogeneous The can be largely explained spring phenology. growth-SM period was strongly increased temperature vapor pressure deficit. Earlier phenology exerts crucial role mediating relationship complicated interactions should explicitly considered predicting regional under warmer drier regime water-stressed regions.