Spatial Heterogeneity and Complexity of the Impact of Extreme Climate on Vegetation in China

Shuang Li, Feili Wei, Zheng Wang, Jiashu Shen, Ze Liang, Huan Wang and Shuangcheng Li
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Shuang Li: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Feili Wei: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Zheng Wang: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Jiashu Shen: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Ze Liang: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Huan Wang: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Shuangcheng Li: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: The impact of extreme climate on natural ecosystems and socioeconomic systems is more serious than that of the climate’s mean state. Based on the data of 1698 meteorological stations in China from 2001 to 2018, this study calculated the 27 extreme climate indices of the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). Through correlation analysis and collinearity diagnostics, we selected two representative extreme temperature indices and three extreme precipitation indices. The spatial scale of the impact of extreme climate on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in China during the growing season from 2001 to 2018 was quantitatively analyzed, and the complexity of the dominant factors in different regions was discussed via clustering analysis. The research results show that extreme climate indices have a scale effect on vegetation. There are spatial heterogeneities in the impacts of different extreme climate indices on vegetation, and these impacts varied between the local, regional and national scales. The relationship between the maximum length of a dry spell (CDD) and NDVI was the most spatially nonstationary, and mostly occurred on the local scale, while the effect of annual total precipitation when the daily precipitation amount was more than the 95th percentile (R95pTOT) showed the greatest spatial stability, and mainly manifested at the national scale. Under the current extreme climate conditions, extreme precipitation promotes vegetation growth, while the influence of extreme temperature is more complicated. As regards intensity and range, the impact of extreme climate on NDVI in China over the past 18 years can be categorized into five types: the humidity-promoting type, the cold-promoting and drought-inhibiting compound type, the drought-inhibiting type, the heat-promoting and drought-inhibiting compound type, and the heat-promoting and humidity-promoting compound type. Drought is the greatest threat to vegetation associated with extreme climate in China.

Keywords: extreme climate; vegetation; spatial heterogeneity; dominant factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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