Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics Papers

Ranked by citations 18 months after publication

Class of 2026 (Papers Published in 2024)

What topics and trends defined most-cited Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics research in the Class of 2026?

Plant water relations research in 2024 shifted decisively toward dynamic carbon-water coupling and climate stress thresholds. Soil moisture anchored top literature, while gross primary productivity (+10%), carbon flux (+8%), and elevated CO2 (+8%) expanded rapidly. Broad evapotranspiration terms declined (-8%), reflecting an evolving focus on mechanistic ecohydrological flux modeling.

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Updated July 29, 2026

At a glance

Field
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
Cohort label
Class of 2026 (2024 publications)
Papers analyzed
6,551
Papers ranked
20
Top topics in ranked papers
Soil moisture, carbon sequestration, evapotranspiration, gross primary productivity, carbon flux
Publication window
Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
Eligibility
Research articles; reviews excluded
Citation window
18 months post-publication
18m citation range
62–141
Data source
OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026
License
CC BY 4.0

Rankings

20 papers ranked by 18-month citation count

#1 of 6,551
14118m citations

Global rise in forest fire emissions linked to climate change in the extratropics

Matthew W Jones et al.Science202410.1126/science.adl5889

Matthew W. JonesUniversity of East Anglia, United Kingdom

Wildfire emissionsclimate changeextratropical forestsmachine learningforest pyromesfire-favorable weathertropical pyromescarbon emissionsforest ecoregionsclimatic controlshuman controlsvegetation controlsforest coverforest productivityfire disturbancecarbon stocksfire trends 2001-2023
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#2 of 6,551
12918m citations

Global influence of soil texture on ecosystem water limitation

Fabian J P Wankmüller et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-08089-2

Mathieu Javaux, Andrea CarminatiETH Zurich, Switzerland

Soil moistureVapor pressure deficitWater stressPlant transpirationphotosynthesiscritical soil moisture thresholdsenergy to water limitation transitionstomatal closuresoil texturesoil hydraulic conductivity curvesand fractionsandy soilsclayey soilsecosystem sensitivity to VPDecosystem sensitivity to soil moistureplant adjustments to water limitationsvegetation-atmosphere exchangesWater limitationSoil drying
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#3 of 6,551
10718m citations

Dominant role of soil moisture in mediating carbon and water fluxes in dryland ecosystems

Steven A. Kannenberg et al.Nature Geoscience202410.1038/s41561-023-01351-8

Steven A. KannenbergColorado State University, United States

Soil moistureCarbon fluxwater fluxesDrylandsecosystem carbon-water couplingWater limitationgross primary productivityevapotranspirationSoil moisture thresholdsCarbon uptakeWater use efficiencyprecipitation variabilityeddy covarianceflux partitioningsemi-arid regions
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#4 of 6,551
10618m citations

Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress

Zheng Fu et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-49244-7

Zheng FuInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, China

Soil moisture thresholdsθ critdry-downsWater stressevapotranspiration limitationdiurnal amplitude of land surface temperaturedLSTsatellite observationsflux tower dataEarth system modelsaridity indexleaf area indexsoil textureexplainable machine learningSoil water availabilityEvaporative demandplant adaptationwater stress fraction
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#5 of 6,551
9518m citations

Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage

Sarah R Weiskopf et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-47872-7

Sarah R. WeiskopfU.S. Geological Survey, United States

Ecosystem carbon storagebiodiversity lossPlant species diversityvascular plant richnessCarbon sequestrationmacroecological modelbiodiversity-biomass relationshipClimate change scenariosLand-use changeglobal sustainability scenariofossil-fueled development scenariocarbon emissions feedback loopbiodiversity conservationecosystem restorationBiomass carbon stockClimate change mitigation
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#7 of 6,551
9018m citations

Assessing the accuracy of OpenET satellite-based evapotranspiration data to support water resource and land management applications

John Volk et al.Nature Water202410.1038/s44221-023-00181-7

John VolkDesert Research Institute, United States

OpenET systemsatellite-based evapotranspirationeddy covariance flux towersensemble modeling30 m spatial resolutionfield-scale ET dataremote sensing modelscropland ET accuracyshrubland ETforested site ETmean absolute errormean bias errorinter-model variabilitycontiguous United Statesagricultural water resource managementin situ validationmulti-model convergencedata-driven water management
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#8 of 6,551
7718m citations

Plant responses to changing rainfall frequency and intensity

Andrew F. Feldman et al.Nature Reviews Earth & Environment202410.1038/s43017-024-00534-0

Andrew F. FeldmanNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, United States

rainfall frequencyrainfall intensityplant responsesprecipitation patternsclimate changeDrought stressWater availabilityplant water relationsSoil moisturestomatal conductancephotosynthesisplant growthEcosystem functionextreme precipitation eventsrainfall variability
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#9 of 6,551
7718m citations

Black biodegradable mulching increases grain yield and net return while decreasing carbon footprint in rain-fed conditions of the Loess Plateau

Nanping Lin et al.Field Crops Research202410.1016/j.fcr.2024.109590

Hao Feng, Ying ZhaoChinese Academy of Sciences, China

Biodegradable mulch filmgrain yieldEconomic profitabilitycarbon footprintrain-fed conditionsLoess Plateaudryland agricultureWater use efficiencysoil temperature regulationenvironmental sustainabilitymulch degradationprecipitation conservationlife cycle assessment
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#10 of 6,551
7418m citations

Exploring spatiotemporal dynamics of NDVI and climate-driven responses in ecosystems: Insights for sustainable management and climate resilience

Kaleem Mehmood et al.Ecological Informatics202410.1016/j.ecoinf.2024.102532

Shoaib Ahmad Anees, Mi LuoBeijing Forestry University, China

Normalized Difference Vegetation Indexspatiotemporal dynamicsVegetation-climate interactionsKhyber Pakhtunkhwa ProvinceLatent heat fluxtotal precipitation (TPP)soil temperatureMann-Kendall testSen's slope estimatormultiple linear regression analysissatellite imagery analysismeteorological datasetsvegetation adaptationtrend detectionecosystem managementclimate resilienceNDVI trend analysisPrecipitation reductionVegetation greeningclimate-driven ecosystem responses
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#11 of 6,551
7318m citations

Maximizing carbon sequestration potential in Chinese forests through optimal management

Zhen Yu et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-47143-5

Zhen Yu, Shirong LiuNanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China

Carbon sequestrationChinese forestsForest demographicsharvest impactsprocess-based biogeochemical modelnational forest inventoriespermanent plotsBiomass carbon stockwood product poolspatiotemporal optimizationforest management strategieswood harvestforest agecarbon sink peak timinglong-term projection biasstatistical model limitationsoptimal forest management
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#12 of 6,551
7218m citations

Extreme drought impacts have been underestimated in grasslands and shrublands globally

Melinda D Smith, Kate D Wilkins et al.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences202410.1073/pnas.2309881120

Melinda D. Smith, Kate WilkinsColorado State University, United States

extreme droughtshort-term droughtgrasslandsshrublandsaboveground net primary production (ANPP)coordinated distributed experimentInternational Drought Experiment1-in-100-year droughtcarbon cycleEcosystem functiondrought severityPlant species diversitydrier ecosystemsdrought response variabilityclimate change intensification
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#13 of 6,551
7118m citations

Enhanced observations from an optimized soil-canopy-photosynthesis and energy flux model revealed evapotranspiration-shading cooling dynamics of urban vegetation during extreme heat

Zhaowu Yu et al.Remote Sensing of Environment202410.1016/j.rse.2024.114098

Zhaowu YuFudan University, China

soil-canopy-photosynthesis and energy flux modelevapotranspirationshading coolingurban vegetationExtreme heatcanopy energy balancephotosynthesis modelingurban heat mitigationLatent heat fluxsensible heat fluxradiative transferstomatal conductanceleaf area indexurban microclimatethermal regulation
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#14 of 6,551
7118m citations

Temperature responses of ecosystem respiration

Shuli Niu et al.Nature Reviews Earth & Environment202410.1038/s43017-024-00569-3

Shuli NiuUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

ecosystem respirationtemperature responsesQ10 temperature coefficientsoil respirationCarbon fluxsubstrate availabilitymicrobial respirationautotrophic respirationheterotrophic respirationthermal acclimationArrhenius equationtemperature sensitivitycarbon cyclerespiration modelsseasonal temperature variation
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#15 of 6,551
7018m citations

Climate-induced tree-mortality pulses are obscured by broad-scale and long-term greening

Yuchao Yan et al.Nature Ecology & Evolution202410.1038/s41559-024-02372-1

Shilong Piao, Anping ChenPeking University, China

climate-induced tree mortalitymortality pulsesbroad-scale greeninglong-term greeningvegetation dynamicsremote sensingclimate change impacts on foreststree mortality driversVegetation greening trendsforest diebacktemporal scale effectsspatial scale effectsmortality detectionRemote sensing vegetation indices
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#16 of 6,551
6918m citations

Tree water uptake patterns across the globe

Christoph Bachofen et al.New Phytologist202410.1111/nph.19762

Christoph BachofenEPFL, Switzerland

water uptake depthplant water uptakerooting depthprecipitation seasonalitybiomesplant functional typesdeciduous broadleavesevergreen broadleavesconifersarid regionstaprootswater source switchingSoil water availabilityPlant transpirationhydraulic safetydrought resiliencevegetation process modelsglobal literature reviewseasonal shifts
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#17 of 6,551
6918m citations

Microbial competition for phosphorus limits the CO2 response of a mature forest

Mingkai Jiang, Kristine Y Crous et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07491-0

Kristine Y. CrousZhejiang University, China

Elevated CO2phosphorus limitationMature forestsMicrobial competitionecosystem P budgetP recyclingplant P uptakeCO2 fertilizationTerrestrial carbon sequestrationnutrient availability constraintFine root exudationP use efficiencysoil P mineralizationtree biomass accumulationEarth system modelsLand carbon sink
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#18 of 6,551
6318m citations

Future increase in compound soil drought-heat extremes exacerbated by vegetation greening

Jun Li et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-55175-0

Yao ZhangPeking University, China

Compound drought-heat extremesVegetation greeningbiophysical processesleaf area indexalbedo reductiontranspiration enhancementSoil water deficitearly growing season water losswarm season amplificationnorthern high latitudesCO2 warming effectclimate model simulationsvegetation-climate feedbackscompound climate risksClimate change scenariosFuture projections to 2100cooling and drying trade-offsseasonal soil moisture dynamics
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#19 of 6,551
6218m citations

Assisted tree migration can preserve the European forest carbon sink under climate change

Debojyoti Chakraborty et al.Nature Climate Change202410.1038/s41558-024-02080-5

Silvio SchuelerAustrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW), Austria

Assisted tree migrationEuropean forestscarbon sinkclimate change resiliencespecies-specific climatic limitsabove-ground carbon sinkregrowing juvenile forestsconiferous to deciduous species replacementenvironmental and genetic variationforest carbon sequestration modelingspecies distribution shifts2061-2080 climate projections
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#20 of 6,551
6218m citations

Large global-scale vegetation sensitivity to daily rainfall variability

Andrew F Feldman et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-08232-z

Andrew F. FeldmanNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, United States

global-scale vegetation sensitivitydaily rainfall variabilityprecipitation variabilityvegetation responserainfall timingecosystem water stresssatellite remote sensingRemote sensing vegetation indicesclimate extremesintraseasonal rainfall variationterrestrial ecosystemsdrought sensitivityWater availabilityphenological responses
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Dominant research themes and year-over-year shifts in Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics

What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

Research in the Class of 2026 centers on the tight coupling between plant water availability and terrestrial carbon cycling under environmental change. Soil moisture serves as the foundational anchor, appearing in 14% of top-ranked studies (7 of 50 papers). Three major functional metrics—carbon sequestration, evapotranspiration, and gross primary productivity (GPP)—each define 10% of the high-impact corpus (5 papers each), reflecting a strong emphasis on quantifying ecosystem-scale carbon uptake and water loss. A distinct cluster of mechanistic and modeling concepts prominent in the top papers includes carbon flux, Earth system models, elevated CO2, leaf area index, and stomatal conductance, each representing 8% of publications (4 papers each). These studies examine how plant physiological regulation directly governs land-atmosphere exchanges. Furthermore, ecohydrological drivers such as drylands, evaporative demand, land-atmosphere interactions, latent heat flux, precipitation reduction, and soil moisture thresholds each feature in 6% of the corpus (3 papers each). Collectively, this thematic landscape illustrates how current research integrates fine-scale leaf stomatal responses with macro-scale ecohydrological modeling to resolve ecosystem resilience under climate variability.

Leading research themes
Leading research themes

How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

The transition from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026 reveals a significant thematic shift toward dynamic flux modeling and experimental stress controls. The most dramatic rise occurred in gross primary productivity, surging from 0% in 2023 to 10% of top papers in 2024 (+10 percentage points, 5 papers). Parallel increases were recorded for carbon flux and elevated CO2 (both rising from 0% to 8%, +8 percentage points), alongside rapid emergence in drylands, latent heat flux, precipitation reduction, soil moisture thresholds, and soil temperature (all expanding from 0% to 6%, +6 percentage points). Carbon sequestration also gained momentum, growing from 6% to 10% (+4 percentage points). Conversely, several broad observational and baseline terms contracted. Evapotranspiration experienced the largest drop, declining from 18% in 2023 (9 papers) to 10% in 2024 (5 papers, -8 percentage points). Ecosystem carbon storage similarly eased from 10% to 6% (-4 percentage points), while land-atmosphere interactions, remote sensing vegetation indices, and vapor pressure deficit each shifted down from 8% to 6% (-2 percentage points). This shift highlights a reorientation away from general moisture monitoring toward predictive, threshold-driven carbon-water interaction models.

How topics shifted year over year
How topics shifted year over year
Methodology

PRI identifies high-impact research using a transparent, topic-agnostic framework applied consistently across scientific domains. Bibliographic records are drawn from OpenAlex, including publication dates, citation relationships, and document types.

This ranking covers the Class of 2026 cohort: journal articles published in 2024. Reviews and other non-article document types are excluded to ensure comparability.

Research impact is quantified with an 18-month post-publication citation window—the number of citing works published within 18 months of each paper's publication date. This metric captures early impact while controlling for publication age.

An LLM-based relevance classifier then reviews each candidate's title and abstract to confirm substantive alignment with the target domain. Only papers classified as relevant appear in the final ranking.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459

Full methodologyGitHubbioRxiv preprint

Cite this ranking

Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-water-relations-and-carbon-dynamics/2026. Accessed 2026-07-29.

Methodology
Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459