Drought Drives Decade-Long Decline in Plant Growth

[GliderGuider]

3. They're talking about regional droughts

Plants grow in particular places, after all. I wouldn't expect globally averaged air temperatures to be as significant as regional changes in water patterns or the other factors they mention..

Zhao and Running's analysis showed that since 2000, high-latitude northern hemisphere ecosystems have continued to benefit from warmer temperatures and a longer growing season. But that effect was offset by warming-associated drought that limited growth in the southern hemisphere, resulting in a net global loss of land productivity.

"This past decade’s net decline in terrestrial productivity illustrates that a complex interplay between temperature, rainfall, cloudiness, and carbon dioxide, probably in combination with other factors such as nutrients and land management, will determine future patterns and trends in productivity," Wickland said.