2021 heat dome impacts to Western Canadian forest

Extreme climate anomalies are expected to become more frequent under climate change, and rare heat waves provide an opportunity for comparative empirical analysis of ecosystem resilience. Here, we analyze anomalies in a remotely sensed vegetation index (EVI) in the aftermath of the record-setting western North American heat wave in 2021, with temperatures approaching 50 ºC in coastal and interior regions of the Pacific Northwest. We find that the forest ecosystems most affected were not necessarily those that experienced the highest absolute temperature values. Instead, the greatest reductions in greenness were observed across northern coastal temperate rainforests. Most affected were the cooler, very wet, hyper-maritime ecosystems that are normally buffered from large temperature fluctuation by a strong oceanic influence.  

This upload contains all data for the study entitled “A record-setting 2021 heat wave in western Canada had a significant temporary impact on greenness of the world’s largest temperate rainforest” by Zihaohan Sang and Andreas Hamann.