The Impacts of Climate Change on Temperate Forests in Europe and Adaptation Options

Abstract

Vegetation phenology is a sensitive indicator of climate change, and its changes directly reflect the response of vegetation growth to climate change. The study of vegetation phenology is of great significance to understand the impact of global climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. In this paper, the impact of climate change on temperate forests in Europe was investigated using biased correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis based on NDVI extracted vegetation phenology parameters and climate data from the German Weather Service (DWD) observation network in the Hartz Mountains forest study area. It was found that the interannual variability of forest phenology in the Hartz Mountains from 2001 to 2020 was characterized by summer and fall temperatures as well as fall precipitation as the main factors affecting EOS in the study area. Changes in the sensitivity of forest vegetation EOS to temperature and precipitation were strongly correlated. The effects of both temperature and precipitation on forest EOS showed a trend from negative to positive, in which every 1 mm increase in precipitation from April to August would advance the forest by 0.15 d on average. The correlation between NPP and temperature and precipitation was gradually significant with the increase of time scale. In order to cope with the problem of climate change, it is reasonable to meet the urgent requirements of climate change adaptation by improving the corresponding forest legal system.