A Study of Carbon Stock Changes in the Alpine Grassland Ecosystem of Zoigê, China, 2000–2020

Rui Qu, Li He, Zhengwei He, Bing Wang, Pengyi Lyu, Jiaxian Wang, Guichuan Kang and Wenqian Bai
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Rui Qu: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Li He: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Zhengwei He: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Bing Wang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Pengyi Lyu: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Jiaxian Wang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Guichuan Kang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Wenqian Bai: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: Terrestrial carbon sequestration capacity is an important indicator of ecosystem service function, and the carbon storage value can reflect the climate regulation capacity of the regional ecological environment. The Zoigê alpine grassland is a representative area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau grassland ecosystem, with carbon sequestration types such as alpine grassland and marsh meadow and also an important water-conserving area in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. In this study, based on the land use/cover change pattern of the Zoigê alpine grassland region from 2000 to 2020, the carbon density coefficients corrected by the regional average annual precipitation and temperature factors were used to assess the carbon stocks of the Zoigê alpine grassland for three periods from 2000 to 2020 using the InVEST model. The results showed that the carbon stocks of the Zoigê alpine grassland region were 786.19 Tg, 780.02 Tg, and 775.22 Tg in 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively, with a cumulative loss of 10.97 Tg and carbon densities of 183.70 t/ha, 182.26 t/ha, and 181.14 t/ha, showing a decreasing trend year by year. The carbon stock of the grassland ecosystem is the absolute contributor to the regional carbon stock, and the carbon stock accounts for 75.28% of the total carbon stock. The increase in the cultivated land area with a lower carbon density and the decrease in the grassland area with a higher carbon density are the main factors leading to the decrease in the carbon stock in the regional ecosystem of the Zoigê alpine grassland.

Keywords: Zoigê alpine grassland; ecosystem; carbon stock; InVEST model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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