Articles | Volume 21, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-409-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-409-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
24 Jan 2017
Research article |
| 24 Jan 2017
Land surface albedo and vegetation feedbacks enhanced the millennium drought in south-east Australia
Climate Change Research Centre and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Xianhong Meng
Key Laboratory of Land Surface Process and Climate Change in Cold and Arid Regions, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, China
Matthew F. McCabe
Water Desalination and Reuse Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Cited
31 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Potential Reemergence of Seasonal Soil Moisture Anomalies in North America S. Kumar et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0540.1
- Influence of drought and anthropogenic pressures on land use and land cover change in the brazilian semiarid region D. Refati et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104362
- Impacts of vegetation dynamics on hydrological simulations under drought conditions in a humid river basin in Southern China C. Liu & Y. Chen https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2630
- Impact of aridity rise and arid lands expansion on carbon‐storing capacity, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem services A. Tariq et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17292
- Impact of rainfall extremes on energy exchange and surface temperature anomalies across biomes in the Horn of Africa T. Abera et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107779
- Anomalously Darker Land Surfaces Become Wetter Due To Mesoscale Circulations Y. Cheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL104137
- Evaluation of SMAP and CYGNSS Soil Moistures in Drought Prediction Using Multiple Linear Regression and GLDAS Product K. Edokossi et al. https://doi.org/10.14358/PERS.23-00075R2
- Sensitivity of surface albedo derived from METEOSAT data to drought episodes in a semi-arid region (M’Sila, north center of Algeria) M. Nakes & A. Mokhnache https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-06431-2
- Examining the role of biophysical feedbacks on simulated temperature extremes during the Tinderbox Drought and Black Summer bushfires in southeast Australia M. Mu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2024.100703
- Variations in Surface Albedo Arising from Flooding and Desiccation Cycles on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah K. Craft & J. Horel https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0219.1
- Large increases of multi-year droughts in north-western Europe in a warmer climate K. van der Wiel et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06373-3
- Drying–Wetting Changes of Surface Soil Moisture and the Influencing Factors in Permafrost Regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China H. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14122915
- Divergent impacts of snow cover and vegetation on albedo in drylands Central Asia from 2000 to 2023 T. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2026.101279
- Response of Dryland Vegetation Under Extreme Wet Events with Satellite Measures of Greenness and Fluorescence S. LENG et al. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4062582
- Near-Surface Salinity Reveals the Oceanic Sources of Moisture for Australian Precipitation through Atmospheric Moisture Transport S. Rathore et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0579.1
- Characterization of the Australia’s 2019 megafires: a remote-sensing perspective A. Dikshit & J. Evans https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2025.2564909
- Simulated cold bias being improved by using MODIS time-varying albedo in the Tibetan Plateau in WRF model X. Meng et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aab44a
- Response of dryland vegetation under extreme wet events with satellite measures of greenness and fluorescence S. Leng et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156860
- Vegetation Response to the 2012–2014 California Drought from GPS and Optical Measurements E. Small et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10040630
- Investigating the land surface albedo trend in Iran using remote sensing data A. Karbalaee et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-04171-9
- Contrasting feedback mechanisms drive basin-scale vegetation vulnerability to drought in cold-arid northern China J. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128929
- What is the probability that a drought will break in Australia? A. Devanand et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2023.100598
- Spatiotemporal variations of land surface albedo and associated influencing factors on the Tibetan Plateau G. Pang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150100
- Albedo-dominated biogeophysical warming effects induced by vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau, China K. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110690
- Analyses of the relationship between drought occurrences and their causal factors in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia A. Tefera et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/16000870.2020.1718937
- Forests buffer thermal fluctuation better than non-forests H. Lin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.107994
- The GLACE-Hydrology Experiment: Effects of Land–Atmosphere Coupling on Soil Moisture Variability and Predictability S. Kumar et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0598.1
- Projecting meteorological drought in Northern Malawi using SPEI and bias-corrected CMIP6 models I. Tchuwa & J. Patel https://doi.org/10.1007/s44292-025-00059-1
- Improving Australian Rainfall Prediction Using Sea Surface Salinity S. Rathore et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0625.1
- The role of heavy rainfall in drought in Australia T. Parker & A. Gallant https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2022.100528
- Seasonal Drought Prediction: Advances, Challenges, and Future Prospects Z. Hao et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016RG000549
31 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Potential Reemergence of Seasonal Soil Moisture Anomalies in North America S. Kumar et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0540.1
- Influence of drought and anthropogenic pressures on land use and land cover change in the brazilian semiarid region D. Refati et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104362
- Impacts of vegetation dynamics on hydrological simulations under drought conditions in a humid river basin in Southern China C. Liu & Y. Chen https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2630
- Impact of aridity rise and arid lands expansion on carbon‐storing capacity, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem services A. Tariq et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17292
- Impact of rainfall extremes on energy exchange and surface temperature anomalies across biomes in the Horn of Africa T. Abera et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107779
- Anomalously Darker Land Surfaces Become Wetter Due To Mesoscale Circulations Y. Cheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL104137
- Evaluation of SMAP and CYGNSS Soil Moistures in Drought Prediction Using Multiple Linear Regression and GLDAS Product K. Edokossi et al. https://doi.org/10.14358/PERS.23-00075R2
- Sensitivity of surface albedo derived from METEOSAT data to drought episodes in a semi-arid region (M’Sila, north center of Algeria) M. Nakes & A. Mokhnache https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-06431-2
- Examining the role of biophysical feedbacks on simulated temperature extremes during the Tinderbox Drought and Black Summer bushfires in southeast Australia M. Mu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2024.100703
- Variations in Surface Albedo Arising from Flooding and Desiccation Cycles on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah K. Craft & J. Horel https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0219.1
- Large increases of multi-year droughts in north-western Europe in a warmer climate K. van der Wiel et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06373-3
- Drying–Wetting Changes of Surface Soil Moisture and the Influencing Factors in Permafrost Regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China H. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14122915
- Divergent impacts of snow cover and vegetation on albedo in drylands Central Asia from 2000 to 2023 T. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2026.101279
- Response of Dryland Vegetation Under Extreme Wet Events with Satellite Measures of Greenness and Fluorescence S. LENG et al. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4062582
- Near-Surface Salinity Reveals the Oceanic Sources of Moisture for Australian Precipitation through Atmospheric Moisture Transport S. Rathore et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0579.1
- Characterization of the Australia’s 2019 megafires: a remote-sensing perspective A. Dikshit & J. Evans https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2025.2564909
- Simulated cold bias being improved by using MODIS time-varying albedo in the Tibetan Plateau in WRF model X. Meng et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aab44a
- Response of dryland vegetation under extreme wet events with satellite measures of greenness and fluorescence S. Leng et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156860
- Vegetation Response to the 2012–2014 California Drought from GPS and Optical Measurements E. Small et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10040630
- Investigating the land surface albedo trend in Iran using remote sensing data A. Karbalaee et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-04171-9
- Contrasting feedback mechanisms drive basin-scale vegetation vulnerability to drought in cold-arid northern China J. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128929
- What is the probability that a drought will break in Australia? A. Devanand et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2023.100598
- Spatiotemporal variations of land surface albedo and associated influencing factors on the Tibetan Plateau G. Pang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150100
- Albedo-dominated biogeophysical warming effects induced by vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau, China K. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110690
- Analyses of the relationship between drought occurrences and their causal factors in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia A. Tefera et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/16000870.2020.1718937
- Forests buffer thermal fluctuation better than non-forests H. Lin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.107994
- The GLACE-Hydrology Experiment: Effects of Land–Atmosphere Coupling on Soil Moisture Variability and Predictability S. Kumar et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0598.1
- Projecting meteorological drought in Northern Malawi using SPEI and bias-corrected CMIP6 models I. Tchuwa & J. Patel https://doi.org/10.1007/s44292-025-00059-1
- Improving Australian Rainfall Prediction Using Sea Surface Salinity S. Rathore et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0625.1
- The role of heavy rainfall in drought in Australia T. Parker & A. Gallant https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2022.100528
- Seasonal Drought Prediction: Advances, Challenges, and Future Prospects Z. Hao et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016RG000549
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 25 Jul 2026
Short summary
This work demonstrates that changes in surface albedo and vegetation, caused by the millennium drought in south-east Australia, affected the atmosphere in a way that decreased precipitation further. This land–surface feedback increased the severity of the drought by 10 %. This suggests that climate models need to simulate changes in surface characteristics (other than soil moisture) in response to a developing drought if they are to capture this kind of multi-year drought.
This work demonstrates that changes in surface albedo and vegetation, caused by the millennium...
