Beyond meteorological data: Modelling Tree Growth with ERA5-Land - Data

Data used by Marian Schönauer, Christoph Pucher, Jan Altman, Josef Weißbacher, Lars Sprengel, Boris Rewald (2025), Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2025.110679 Abstract Forests are increasingly impacted by climate change, affecting tree growth and carbon sequestration. Tree-ring width, closely related to tree growth, is a key climate proxy, yet models describing ring width or growth often lack comprehensive environmental data. This study assesses ERA5-Land data for tree-ring width prediction compared to automatic weather station observations, emphasizing the value of extended and global climate data. We analyzed 723 site-averaged and detrended tree-ring chronologies from two broadleaved and two gymnosperm species across Europe, integrating them with ERA5-Land climate data, CO2 concentration, and a drought index (SPEI12). A subset was compared with weather station data. For modelling interannual variations of tree-ring width we used linear models to assess parameter importance. ERA5-Land and weather-station-based models performed similarly, maintaining stable correlations and consistent errors. Models based on meteorological data from weather stations highlighted SPEI12, sunshine duration, and temperature extremes, while ERA5-Land models emphasized SPEI12, dew-point temperature (humidity), and total precipitation. CO2 positively influenced the growth of gymnosperm species. ERA5-Land facilitated broader spatial analysis and incorporated additional factors like evaporation, snow cover, and soil moisture. Monthly assessments revealed the importance of parameters for specific species. Our findings confirm that ERA5-Land is a reliable alternative for modeling tree growth, offering insights into climate-vegetation interactions. The ready availability of underutilized parameters, such as air humidity, soil moisture and temperature, and runoff, enables their inclusion in future growth models. Using ERA5-Land can therefore deepen our understanding of forest responses to diverse environmental drivers on a global scale.由Marian Schönauer、Christoph Pucher、Jan Altman、Josef Weißbacher、Lars Sprengel、Boris Rewald（2025）使用的数据，发表于《Agricultural and Forest Meteorology》（农业与森林气象学），DOI：10.1016/j.agrformet.2025.110679 摘要 森林正日益受到气候变化的影响，进而威胁树木生长与碳固存能力。与树木生长密切相关的树轮宽度是关键的气候代用指标，但现有描述树轮宽度或树木生长的模型往往缺乏全面的环境数据。本研究对比自动气象站观测数据与ERA5-Land数据集在树轮宽度预测中的表现，着重探讨扩展型全球气候数据的应用价值。 本研究分析了欧洲地区2种阔叶树种与2种裸子植物的723条样地平均去趋势树轮年表，并将其与ERA5-Land气候数据、二氧化碳（CO₂）浓度以及标准化降水蒸散指数12（SPEI12）进行整合；选取其中一部分数据集与气象站观测数据开展对比。针对树轮宽度的年际变化建模，本研究采用线性模型评估各参数的重要性。 基于ERA5-Land与气象站数据的模型表现相近，均能保持稳定的相关性与一致的误差水平。基于气象站观测数据的模型重点关注SPEI12、日照时长与极端气温，而基于ERA5-Land的模型则更侧重SPEI12、露点温度（湿度指标）与总降水量。CO₂浓度对裸子植物的生长具有正向促进作用。ERA5-Land支持更广泛的空间分析，并可纳入蒸发、积雪与土壤湿度等额外环境因子。月度分析结果表明，不同参数对特定树种的生长具有差异化的重要性。 本研究结果证实，ERA5-Land是树木生长建模的可靠替代数据源，可为气候-植被相互作用研究提供新视角。诸如空气湿度、土壤温湿度与径流等未被充分利用的参数可便捷获取，这为未来将其纳入生长模型提供了可能。因此，采用ERA5-Land数据可深化我们对全球尺度下森林对多样环境驱动因子响应机制的认知。