Atmospheric brightening counteracts warming‐induced delays in autumn phenology of temperate trees in Europe

Aim: Ongoing climate warming has been widely reported to delay autumn phenology, which in turn impacts carbon, water, energy and nutrient balances at regional and global scales. However, the underlying mechanisms of autumn phenology responses to climate change have not been fully elucidated. The aims of this study were to determine whether brightening that was defined as the increase of surface solar radiation and warming during recent decades affect autumn phenology in opposite directions and explore the underlying mechanisms. Location: Central Europe. Time period: 1950–2016. Major taxa studied: Four dominant European tree species in central Europe: Aesculus hippocastanum, Betula pendula, …