Network motifs shape distinct functioning of Earth’s moisture recycling hubs

Earth’s hydrological cycle critically depends on the atmospheric moisture flows connecting evaporation to precipitation. Here we convert a decade of reanalysis-based moisture simulations into a high-resolution global directed network of spatial moisture provisions. We reveal global and local network...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 6574 - 8
Main Authors Wunderling, Nico, Wolf, Frederik, Tuinenburg, Obbe A., Staal, Arie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 02.11.2022
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
704/106/242
704/158/2165
704/158/2463
Archipelagoes
Atmospheric moisture
Climate change
Congo
Earth
Evaporation
Global warming
Hubs
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrologic cycle
Hydrology
Indonesia
Land use
Moisture effects
multidisciplinary
Precipitation
Rainforest
Rainforests
Recycling
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Topology
Water Cycle
Congo
Indonesia
Amazon Basin
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Summary:Earth’s hydrological cycle critically depends on the atmospheric moisture flows connecting evaporation to precipitation. Here we convert a decade of reanalysis-based moisture simulations into a high-resolution global directed network of spatial moisture provisions. We reveal global and local network structures that offer a new view of the global hydrological cycle. We identify four terrestrial moisture recycling hubs: the Amazon Basin, the Congo Rainforest, South Asia and the Indonesian Archipelago. Network motifs reveal contrasting functioning of these regions, where the Amazon strongly relies on directed connections (feed-forward loops) for moisture redistribution and the other hubs on reciprocal moisture connections (zero loops and neighboring loops). We conclude that Earth’s moisture recycling hubs are characterized by specific topologies shaping heterogeneous effects of land-use changes and climatic warming on precipitation patterns. By using network motifs, a new view of the global hydrological cycle is offered. With them, it is revealed that the Amazon rainforest is a one-of-a-kind moisture recycling hub, which shows that the ecosystem may be subject to increased vulnerability
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ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-34229-1