Drought has been a concern in global and regional water, carbon, and energy cycles. From 1999 to 2011, northern China experienced a multiyear precipitation reduction that significantly decreased water availability as indicated by the Palmer Drought Severity Index and soil moisture measurements. In this study, a light use efficiency model (EC-LUE) and an ecosystem physiological model (IBIS) were used to characterize the impacts of long-term drought on terrestrial carbon fluxes in northern China. EC-LUE and IBIS models showed the reduction of averaged GPP of 0.09 and 0.05 Pg C yr ), Tianjing (1923 kg ha À1 yr À1 ), and Heilongjiang (1791 kg ha À1 yr À1 ), and the maize yield anomaly was significantly correlated with the annual precipitation over the entire study area. Our results revealed that recent climate change, especially drought-induced water stress, is the dominant cause of the reduction in the terrestrial carbon sink over northern China.