Meteorological history of low-forest-greenness events in Europe in 2002–2022

30 March 2023

This study examines the multi-annual meteorological history of low-forest-greenness events in Europe's temperate and Mediterranean biome in 2002–2022. The authors systematically identify anomalies in temperature, precipitation, and weather systems as event precursors, with noteworthy differences between the two biomes. They also quantify the impact of the most extensive event in 2022 (37 % coverage), underlining the importance of understanding the forest–meteorology interaction in a changing climate.

The press release by the ETH Zürich can be found at:
German version: https://ethz.ch/de/news-und-veranstaltungen/eth-news/news/2023/03/was-waelder-im-sommer-verbraunen-laesst.html
English version: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2023/03/why-are-forests-turning-brown-in-summer.html

Contact: Mauro Hermann (mauro.hermann@env.ethz.ch)