scholarly journals Greening Implication Inferred from Vegetation Dynamics Interacted with Climate Change and Human Activities over the Southeast Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 2421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li ◽  
Liu ◽  
Liu ◽  
Li ◽  
Xu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
Upstream Region ◽  
High Mountain

Vegetation dynamics are sensitive to climate change and human activities, as vegetation interacts with the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The Yarlung Zangbo River (YZR) basin, with the vulnerable ecological environment, has experienced a series of natural disasters since the new millennium. Therefore, in this study, the vegetation dynamic variations and their associated responses to environmental changes in the YZR basin were investigated based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) data from 2000 to 2016. Results showed that (1) the YZR basin showed an obvious vegetation greening process with a significant increase of the growing season NDVI (Zc = 2.31, p < 0.05), which was mainly attributed to the wide greening tendency of the downstream region that accounted for over 50% area of the YZR basin. (2) Regions with significant greening accounted for 25.4% of the basin and were mainly concentrated in the Nyang River and Parlung Tsangpo River sub-basins. On the contrary, the browning regions accounted for <25% of the basin and were mostly distributed in the urbanized cities of the midstream, implying a significant influence of human activities on vegetation greening. (3) The elevation dependency of the vegetation in the YZR basin was significant, showing that the vegetation of the low-altitude regions was better than that of the high-altitude regions. The greening rate exhibited a significantly more complicated relationship with the elevation, which increased with elevated altitude (above 3500 m) and decreased with elevated altitude (below 3500 m). (4) Significantly positive correlations between the growing season NDVI and surface air temperature were detected, which were mainly distributed in the snow-dominated sub-basins, indicating that glaciers and snow melting processes induced by global warming play an important role in vegetation growth. Although basin-wide non-significant negative correlations were found between precipitation and growing season NDVI, positive influences of precipitation on vegetation greening occurred in the arid and semi-arid upstream region. These findings could provide important information for ecological environment protection in the YZR basin and other high mountain regions.

scholarly journals Monitoring the impact of climate change and human activities on grassland vegetation dynamics in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China during 2000–2015

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 637-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinli Xiong ◽  
Yang Xiao ◽  
Marwa Waseem A. Halmy ◽  
Mohammed A. Dakhil ◽  
Pinghan Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Grassland Vegetation ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

scholarly journals The Influences of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Huang ◽  
Yangjian Zhang ◽  
Juntao Zhu ◽  
Yaojie Liu ◽  
Jiaxing Zu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Quantitatively distinguish the impact of climate change and human activities on the vegetation changes in Mainland China based on the improved residual method

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yahai Zhang ◽  
Aizhong Ye
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Vegetation Changes ◽  
Ecological Protection ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; Knowledge of the current severe global environmental changes, vegetation has faced the dual challenges posed by climate change and human activities. Quantitatively distinguishing the influence of climate change and human activities on vegetation changes is a key to develop adaptive ecological protection policies. This study used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and meteorological data from 1982 to 2015 to analyze the characteristic of vegetation changes and the relationship with climate factors in Mainland China. The contribution rates of climate change and human activities to vegetation dynamics are further calculated by the improved trend method of residual analysis. The results show that 68.81% vegetation of Mainland China is in a state of sustainable increase and cultivated vegetation (CV) and grass are the main greening vegetation types. The impact of human activities (54.45%-75.27%) on vegetation changes in Mainland China is higher than climate change (24.73%-45.46%). Human activities mainly affect grass, mixed coniferous broad-leaved forest (MCBF) and cultivated vegetation (CV), while swamp is more sensitive to climate change. The improved residual trend method considering temporal and spatial dimensions can reduce the uncertainty of the methods. This study provides a theoretical basis for future government implementation of ecological management.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Differences in Alpine Meadow, Alpine Steppe and All Vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Their Responses to Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 669
Author(s):  
Hanchen Duan ◽  
Xian Xue ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Wenping Kang ◽  
Jie Liao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Variation Trends

Alpine meadow and alpine steppe are the two most widely distributed nonzonal vegetation types in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In the context of global climate change, the differences in spatial-temporal variation trends and their responses to climate change are discussed. It is of great significance to reveal the response of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to global climate change and the construction of ecological security barriers. This study takes alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as the research objects. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data and meteorological data were used as the data sources between 2000 and 2018. By using the mean value method, threshold method, trend analysis method and correlation analysis method, the spatial and temporal variation trends in the alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were compared and analyzed, and their differences in the responses to climate change were discussed. The results showed the following: (1) The growing season length of alpine meadow was 145~289 d, while that of alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was 161~273 d, and their growing season lengths were significantly shorter than that of alpine meadow. (2) The annual variation trends of the growing season NDVI for the alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau increased obviously, but their fluctuation range and change rate were significantly different. (3) The overall vegetation improvement in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was primarily dominated by alpine steppe and alpine meadow, while the degradation was primarily dominated by alpine meadow. (4) The responses between the growing season NDVI and climatic factors in the alpine meadow, alpine steppe and the overall vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had great spatial heterogeneity in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These findings provide evidence towards understanding the characteristics of the different vegetation types in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and their spatial differences in response to climate change.

scholarly journals Responses of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities of Two Tropical, High-Mountain Lakes to Climate Change and Deacidification

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Javier Alcocer ◽  
Luis A. Oseguera ◽  
Diana Ibarra-Morales ◽  
Elva Escobar ◽  
Lucero García-Cid
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Mountain Lakes ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
High Mountain Lakes ◽  
La Luna

High-mountain lakes are among the most comparable ecosystems globally and recognized sentinels of global change. The present study pursued to identify how the benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) communities of two tropical, high mountain lakes, El Sol and La Luna, Central Mexico, have been affected by global/regional environmental pressures. We compared the environmental characteristics and the BMI communities between 2000–2001 and 2017–2018. We identified three principal environmental changes (the air and water temperature increased, the lakes’ water level declined, and the pH augmented and became more variable), and four principal ecological changes in the BMI communities [a species richness reduction (7 to 4), a composition change, and a dominant species replacement all of them in Lake El Sol, a species richness increase (2 to 4) in Lake La Luna, and a drastic reduction in density (38% and 90%) and biomass (92%) in both lakes]. The air and water temperature increased 0.5 °C, and lakes water level declined 1.5 m, all suggesting an outcome of climate change. Contrarily to the expected acidification associated with acid precipitation, both lakes deacidified, and the annual pH fluctuation augmented. The causes of the deacidification and the deleterious impacts on the BMI communities remained to be identified.

scholarly journals Climate Change Patterns of Wild Blueberry Fields in Downeast, Maine over the Past 40 Years

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 594
Author(s):  
Rafa Tasnim ◽  
Francis Drummond ◽  
Yong-Jiang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Spatial Average ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Threshold Values ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wild Blueberry ◽  
Crop Health

Maine, USA is the largest producer of wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton), an important native North American fruit crop. Blueberry fields are mainly distributed in coastal glacial outwash plains which might not experience the same climate change patterns as the whole region. It is important to analyze the climate change patterns of wild blueberry fields and determine how they affect crop health so fields can be managed more efficiently under climate change. Trends in the maximum (Tmax), minimum (Tmin) and average (Tavg) temperatures, total precipitation (Ptotal), and potential evapotranspiration (PET) were evaluated for 26 wild blueberry fields in Downeast Maine during the growing season (May–September) over the past 40 years. The effects of these climate variables on the Maximum Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVImax) were evaluated using Remote Sensing products and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. We found differences in the increase in growing season Tmax, Tmin, Tavg, and Ptotal between those fields and the overall spatial average for the region (state of Maine), as well as among the blueberry fields. The maximum, minimum, and average temperatures of the studied 26 wild blueberry fields in Downeast, Maine showed higher rates of increase than those of the entire region during the last 40 years. Fields closer to the coast showed higher rates of warming compared with the fields more distant from the coast. Consequently, PET has been also increasing in wild blueberry fields, with those at higher elevations showing lower increasing rates. Optimum climatic conditions (threshold values) during the growing season were explored based on observed significant quadratic relationships between the climate variables (Tmax and Ptotal), PET, and EVImax for those fields. An optimum Tmax and PET for EVImax at 22.4 °C and 145 mm/month suggest potential negative effects of further warming and increasing PET on crop health and productivity. These climate change patterns and associated physiological relationships, as well as threshold values, could provide important information for the planning and development of optimal management techniques for wild blueberry fields experiencing climate change.

scholarly journals Climate change drives mountain butterflies towards the summits

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Rödder ◽  
Thomas Schmitt ◽  
Patrick Gros ◽  
Werner Ulrich ◽  
Jan Christian Habel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life History ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Range Shifts ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Annual Range

AbstractClimate change impacts biodiversity and is driving range shifts of species and populations across the globe. To understand the effects of climate warming on biota, long-term observations of the occurrence of species and detailed knowledge on their ecology and life-history is crucial. Mountain species particularly suffer under climate warming and often respond to environmental changes by altitudinal range shifts. We assessed long-term distribution trends of mountain butterflies across the eastern Alps and calculated species’ specific annual range shifts based on field observations and species distribution models, counterbalancing the potential drawbacks of both approaches. We also compiled details on the ecology, behaviour and life-history, and the climate niche of each species assessed. We found that the highest altitudinal maxima were observed recently in the majority of cases, while the lowest altitudes of observations were recorded before 1980. Mobile and generalist species with a broad ecological amplitude tended to move uphill more than specialist and sedentary species. As main drivers we identified climatic conditions and topographic variables, such as insolation and solar irradiation. This study provides important evidence for responses of high mountain taxa to rapid climate change. Our study underlines the advantage of combining historical surveys and museum collection data with cutting-edge analyses.

scholarly journals Explicitly Identifying the Desertification Change in CMREC Area Based on Multisource Remote Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3170
Author(s):  
Zemeng Fan ◽  
Saibo Li ◽  
Haiyan Fang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Regression Tree ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Classification And Regression Tree ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Driving Mechanisms

Explicitly identifying the desertification changes and causes has been a hot issue of eco-environment sustainable development in the China–Mongolia–Russia Economic Corridor (CMREC) area. In this paper, the desertification change patterns between 2000 and 2015 were identified by operating the classification and regression tree (CART) method with multisource remote sensing datasets on Google Earth Engine (GEE), which has the higher overall accuracy (85%) than three other methods, namely support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF) and Albedo-normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) models. A contribution index of climate change and human activities on desertification was introduced to quantitatively explicate the driving mechanisms of desertification change based on the temporal datasets and net primary productivity (NPP). The results show that the area of slight desertification land had increased from 719,700 km2 to 948,000 km2 between 2000 and 2015. The area of severe desertification land decreased from 82,400 km2 to 71,200 km2. The area of desertification increased by 9.68%, in which 69.68% was mainly caused by human activities. Climate change and human activities accounted for 68.8% and 27.36%, respectively, in the area of desertification restoration. In general, the degree of desertification showed a decreasing trend, and climate change was the major driving factor in the CMREC area between 2000 and 2015.

scholarly journals Revealing the Fingerprint of Climate Change in Interannual NDVI Variability among Biomes in Inner Mongolia, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linghui Guo ◽  
Liyuan Zuo ◽  
Jiangbo Gao ◽  
Yuan Jiang ◽  
Yongling Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Climate Fluctuations ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Lag Effect

An understanding of the response of interannual vegetation variations to climate change is critical for the future projection of ecosystem processes and developing effective coping strategies. In this study, the spatial pattern of interannual variability in the growing season normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for different biomes and its relationships with climate variables were investigated in Inner Mongolia during 1982–2015 by jointly using linear regression, geographical detector, and geographically weighted regression methodologies. The result showed that the greatest variability of the growing season NDVI occurred in typical steppe and desert steppe, with forest and desert most stable. The interannual variability of NDVI differed monthly among biomes, showing a time gradient of the largest variation from northeast to southwest. NDVI interannual variability was significantly related to that of the corresponding temperature and precipitation for each biome, characterized by an obvious spatial heterogeneity and time lag effect marked in the later period of the growing season. Additionally, the large slope of NDVI variation to temperature for desert implied that desert tended to amplify temperature variations, whereas other biomes displayed a capacity to buffer climate fluctuations. These findings highlight the relationships between vegetation variability and climate variability, which could be used to support the adaptive management of vegetation resources in the context of climate change.

scholarly journals Human and Climate Effects on the Hamoun Wetlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 609-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeideh Maleki ◽  
Saeid Soltani Koupaei ◽  
Alireza Soffianian ◽  
Sassan Saatchi ◽  
Saeid Pourmanafi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Upstream Region ◽  
Ecosystem Recovery ◽  
Climate Effects

Abstract Negative impacts of climate change on ecosystems have been increasing, and both the intensification and the mitigation of these impacts are strongly linked with human activities. Management and reduction of human-induced disturbances on ecosystems can mitigate the effects of climate change and enhance the ecosystem recovery process. Here, we investigate coupled human and climate effects on the wetland ecosystem of the lower Helmand basin from 1977 to 2014. Using time series climate-variable data and land-use changes from Landsat time series imagery, we compared changes in ecosystem status between the upstream and downstream regions. Results show that despite a strong and prolonged drought in the region, the upstream region of the lower Helmand basin remained dominated by agriculture, causing severe water stress on the Hamoun wetlands downstream. The loss of available water in wetlands was followed by large-scale land abandonment in rural areas, migration to the cities, and increasing unemployment and economic hardship. Our results suggest that unsustainable land-use policies in the upstream region, combined with synergistic effects of human activities and climate in lower Helmand basin, have exacerbated the effects of water stress on local inhabitants in the downstream region.

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