Overview

• Published on August 5 in Nature Climate Change, the study integrates satellite and climate data to chart net primary production trends from 2003 to 2021 across land and ocean ecosystems.
• Global net primary production rose at an average rate of 0.1 billion metric tons of carbon per year over the study period, driven by higher terrestrial uptake.
• Terrestrial net primary production climbed by 0.2 billion metric tons of carbon annually, with higher latitudes benefiting most from longer growing seasons, wetter conditions and expanded forests and croplands.
• Marine productivity fell by about 0.1 billion metric tons of carbon per year, especially in tropical and subtropical waters where warming-driven stratification limited nutrient mixing and magnified El Niño and La Niña effects.
• Researchers warn that persistent ocean declines could weaken carbon sinks and disrupt food webs and call for sustained, coordinated observation of land and sea to assess long-term impacts.