Vegetation Change and Its Relationship with Climate Factors and Elevation on the Tibetan Plateau

Yixin Zhang, Guoce Xu, Peng Li, Zhanbin Li, Yun Wang, Bin Wang, Lu Jia, Yuting Cheng, Jiaxin Zhang, Shaohao Zhuang and Yiting Chen
Additional contact information
Yixin Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Guoce Xu: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Peng Li: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Zhanbin Li: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Yun Wang: Digital Learning Resource Center, Hebei Radio and TV University, Shijiazhuang 050080, China
Bin Wang: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Lu Jia: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Yuting Cheng: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Jiaxin Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Shaohao Zhuang: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Yiting Chen: State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-26

Abstract: As the “roof of the world”, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a unique geographical unit on Earth. In recent years, vegetation has gradually become a key factor reflecting the ecosystem since it is sensitive to ecological changes especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset of TP from 2000 to 2015, this study analyzed the characteristics of vegetation variation and the correlation between vegetation change and climatic factors at different time scales, based on a Mann–Kendall trend analyses, the Hurst exponent, and the Pettitt change-point test. The results showed that the vegetation fractional coverage (VFC) generally increased in the past 16 years, with 60.3% of the TP experiencing an increase, of which significant ( p < 0.05) increases accounted for 28.79% and were mainly distributed in the north of the TP. Temperature had the largest response with the VFC on the seasonal scale. During the growing season, the correlation between precipitation and sunshine duration with VFC was high ( p < 0.05). The change-points of the VFC were mainly distributed in the north of the TP during 2007–2009. Slope and elevation had an impact on the VFC; the areas with large vegetation change are mainly distributed in slopes <20° and elevation of 3000–5000 m. For elevation above 3000–4000 m, the response of the VFC to precipitation and temperature was the strongest. This study provided important information for ecological environment protection and ecosystem degradation on the Tibetan Plateau.

Keywords: climatic factors; Hurst exponent; vegetation fractional coverage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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