Landscape Pattern Changes and Climate Response in Nagqu Hangcuo National Wetland Park in the Tibetan Plateau

Xiaoping Zhang, Xinyi Wang, Zihong Hu and Juncai Xu ()
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Xiaoping Zhang: School of Surveying and Geoinformation Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Xinyi Wang: School of Surveying and Geoinformation Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Zihong Hu: School of Surveying and Geoinformation Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Juncai Xu: Department of Civil Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: Wetlands are vital ecosystems in the Tibetan Plateau that play a crucial role in water conservation, flood storage, and biodiversity maintenance. They are sensitive to climate change and typically have high ecological and environmental quality levels due to minimal human disturbance. This study aimed to quantify landscape pattern changes within the Nagqu Hangcuo National Wetland Park (NNWP) and identify the impact of climate on wetland change. Using remote sensing data from six periods (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015), dynamic change analysis, landscape pattern analysis, and correlation analysis were employed to determine the evolutionary features of the wetland landscape and explore their relationship with climatic factors. The results showed that the total wetland area increased from 15.11 km 2 in 1990 to 15.23 km 2 in 2015. The meadow area increased the most among landscape types, primarily converted from swamps. Over 25 years, the fragmentation of the NNWP’s landscape increased while diversity decreased and its shape became more complex. Meadows were more sensitive to climatic factors than other landscape types, with correlation coefficients between wetland separation and sunshine duration being more significant than other climatic factors. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor landscape pattern changes and the effects of climate change to better protect wetland parks through long-term planning, suitable mechanisms, and advanced technology.

Keywords: wetlands; landscape pattern change; climate change; remote sensing data; biodiversity maintenance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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