Areas with High Fractional Vegetation Cover in the Mu Us Desert (China) Are More Susceptible to Drought

Lin Miao, Chengfu Zhang (), Bo Wu, Fanrui Meng, Charles P.-A. Bourque, Xinlei Zhang, Shuang Feng and Shuai He
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Lin Miao: College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Chengfu Zhang: College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Bo Wu: Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Fanrui Meng: Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, 28 Dineen Drive, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
Charles P.-A. Bourque: Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, 28 Dineen Drive, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
Xinlei Zhang: College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Shuang Feng: College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Shuai He: Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hetao College, Bayannur 015000, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-24

Abstract: Largescale vegetation reconstruction projects in the western and northern parts of China, along with climate change and increased humidity, have significantly boosted fractional vegetation cover (FVC) in the Mu Us Desert. However, this increase may impact the area’s vulnerability to drought stress. Here, we assessed the area’s susceptibility to hydrometeorological drought by analyzing the maximum correlation coefficients (MCC) derived from the spatiotemporal relationships between FVC and estimates of standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) for the area. The results of the study were as follows: (1) FVC exhibited an increasing trend throughout the growing seasons from 2003 to 2022. Although the region experienced an overall wetting trend, drought events still occurred in some years. MCC-values were predominantly positive across all timescales, suggesting that vegetation generally responded favorably to drought conditions. (2) The order of response of land covertype to drought, from greatest to lowest, was grassland, cultivated land, forestland, and sand land. Cultivated land and grassland exhibited heightened sensitivity to short-term drought; forestland and sand land showed greater sensitivity to long-term drought. (3) With a high FVC, the response of grassland and sand land to drought was significantly enhanced, whereas the response of cultivated land and forestland was less noticeable. (4) Low FVC grassland and sand land have not yet reached the VCCSW threshold and can support moderate vegetation restoration. In contrast, forestland and cultivated land exhibit drought sensitivity regardless of FVC levels, indicating that increasing vegetation should be approached with caution. This research offers a method to evaluate the impact of drought stress on ecosystem stability, with findings applicable to planning and managing vegetation cover in arid and semiarid regions globally.

Keywords: ecological restoration; fractional vegetation cover; land covertype; semiarid regions; standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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