Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 1 — Meta-analysis / systematic reviewPeer-reviewed

Impacts of extreme weather events on terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycling: A global meta-analysis

Qing Qu, Hongwei Xu, Zemin Ai, Minggang Wang, Guoliang Wang, Guobin Liu, Violette Geissen, C.J. Ritsema, Sha Xue

Environmental Pollution · 2023

Read source ↗ All evidence

Summary

This global meta-analysis synthesises peer-reviewed evidence on how extreme weather events perturb terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycling. As suggested by the title and publication venue (2023), the paper appears to quantify the direction and magnitude of biogeochemical responses to drought, flooding, and thermal stress, with implications for soil health, greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term soil fertility under climate change. The findings contribute to understanding climate–soil feedback mechanisms across agricultural and natural terrestrial systems.

UK applicability

UK farming systems face increasing frequency of extreme precipitation and drought events; this global synthesis provides a framework for predicting soil carbon and nitrogen losses during such events, informing soil conservation and carbon sequestration strategies in British agriculture. The meta-analytical approach allows UK practitioners to contextualise local responses within global patterns, though site-specific validation would be needed for temperate maritime conditions.

Key measures

Soil carbon cycling rates, nitrogen cycling rates, carbon stocks, nitrogen mineralisation, effect sizes across extreme weather event types

Outcomes reported

The study synthesised global data on how extreme weather events (droughts, floods, heatwaves) affect terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycling processes. The meta-analysis quantified directional and magnitude changes in soil carbon stocks, nitrogen mineralisation, and related biogeochemical fluxes across diverse climate zones and land uses.

Theme
Climate & resilience
Subject
Climate & greenhouse gas mitigation
Study type
Meta-analysis
Study design
Meta-analysis
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Global
System type
Mixed farming
DOI
10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120996
Catalogue ID
SNmok3izqi-wrv6xa

Topic tags

Pulse AI · ask about this record

Dig deeper with Pulse AI.

Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.