Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics and the Climatic Response of Carbon Sources and Sinks in the Chinese Grassland Ecosystem from 2010 to 2020

Xiang Li, Gang Lin, Dong Jiang, Jingying Fu and Yaxin Wang
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Xiang Li: College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Gang Lin: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Dong Jiang: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Jingying Fu: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yaxin Wang: Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: With the increase in global carbon dioxide emissions, China has put forward the goals of a carbon peak and carbon neutrality (double carbon) and formulated an action plan to consolidate and enhance the carbon sink capacity of the ecosystem. The Chinese grassland ecosystem (CGE) is widely distributed and is the key link for China to achieve the double carbon objectives. However, there is a relative lack of research on carbon sources and sinks in the CGE, so it is urgent to integrate and analyze the carbon sources and sinks in the grassland ecosystem on the national scale. Based on the refined grid data, the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) of the CGE was estimated by coupling the vegetation production model and soil respiration model. The results showed that the cumulative carbon sequestration of the CGE was 14.46 PgC from 2010 to 2020. In terms of spatial distribution, this shows that the differentiation characteristics are high in the northwest of China and low in the southeast of China, which strongly corresponds with the 400 mm isohyet and 0 °C isotherm of China. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the NEP of the CGE was positively correlated with precipitation and negatively correlated with temperature; that is, precipitation mainly promotes the accumulation of NEP, and temperature mainly inhibits it. The coupling effect of temperature and precipitation jointly affects the spatial change of carbon sources and sinks of the CGE. This study can provide a scientific basis for government departments to formulate targeted policies to deal with climate change, which is of great significance for China to improve ecosystem management, ensure ecological security and promote the realization of China’s double carbon goal.

Keywords: grassland ecosystem; vegetation production model; soil respiration model; net ecosystem productivity; carbon peak and neutrality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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