Effects of drought on ecosystem evapotranspiration and gross primary productivity in the Haihe River Basin

Abstract

Evapotranspiration is a crucial component of the hydrological cycle and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) is the largest flux in the global carbon cycle. However, both evapotranspiration and GPP are significantly affected by climate disasters, especially extreme drought events. Therefore, in this study, MODIS product data from 2002 to 2021 was used to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of actual evapotranspiration (ET), potential evapotranspiration (PET) and GPP within the Haihe River Basin. Then extreme drought events were identified by using EDDI drought index. A statistical analysis was performed to assess the impact of extreme drought on ecosystem evapotranspiration and GPP. The results showed that: (1) the annual evapotranspiration in the Haihe River Basin fluctuated greatly, ET showed a general increasing trend which was higher in the eastern region and lower in the central and western regions, PET showed an overall decreasing trend which was higher in the central and western regions and lower in the eastern region; (2) the annual GPP in the Haihe River Basin from 2002 to 2021 was 646.88 g C/m2/a and the increase rate was 14.75 g C/m2/a, which exhibited a decreasing trend from the northern to the southern and central-western regions; (3) under extreme drought conditions, ET decreased compared with the mean value, while PET increased, the Zhangweihe and the Tuhaimajiahe sub-basins were the most affected, with ET decreasing by 16.36% and PET increasing by 7.00% compared to the reference year. Additionally, extreme drought led to a decrease in GPP, with a reduction ranging from 7% to 18%.