Abstract
Mountain ecosystems are significantly affected by climate change. However, due to slow vegetation growth in mountain ecosystems, climate-induced vegetation shifts are difficult to detect with low-definition remote sensing images. We used high-definition remote sensing data to identify responses to climate change in a typical Picea crassifolia Kom. forest in the Qilian Mountains, China, from 1968 to 2017. We found that: (1) Picea crassifolia Kom. forests were distributed in small patches or strips on shaded and partly shaded slopes at altitudes of 2700–3250 m, (2) the number, area, and concentration of forest patches have been increasing from 1968 to 2017 in relatively flat and partly sunny areas, but the rate of area increase and ascend of the tree line slowed after 2008, and (3) the establishment of plantation forests may be one of the reasons for the changes. The scale of detected change in Picea crassifolia Kom.forest was about or slightly below 30 m, indicating that monitoring with high-resolution remote sensing data will improve detectability and accuracy.
Highlights
The temperature increase associated with global climate change was three times higher in mountain areas in the past 40 years than the global average, and the frequency of extreme climate events was significantly greater in mountainous than in other ecosystems [1]
The results of this study provide a reference for high-resolution remote sensing image monitoring of the position and landscape pattern of forest tree lines for slowly growing coniferous forests in alpine mountain areas
The Picea crassifolia Kom. forest in the Dayekou watershed was distributed in patches and strips (Figure 4)
Summary
The temperature increase associated with global climate change was three times higher in mountain areas in the past 40 years than the global average, and the frequency of extreme climate events was significantly greater in mountainous than in other ecosystems [1]. Especially at the alpine tree line, is highly sensitive to climate change and can reflect climate change more quickly than other types of vegetation [5]. The upper limit of the tree line is expected to shift up by as much as 300 to 600 m in elevation as a result of climate warming [6]. Deciduous forests may increase in presence at the alpine tree line due to warming, increase in length of the growing season, and decreased severity of the winter environment [7]. The impact of the warming climate on coniferous forests was not significant because snow, wind damage, and frequency of pests and diseases were delayed in alpine areas of the Northern Hemisphere until the 1980s [10]
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