Identifying Critical Meteorological Elements for Vegetation Coverage Change in China

Huimin Bai,Yongping Wu,Li Li,Zhiqiang Gong,Guolin Feng,Guiquan Sun

doi:10.3389/fphy.2022.834094

Abstract

Intensifying global climate change has a significant influence on the vegetation, which is the basis of most of Earth’s ecosystems. It is urgent to identify the critical meteorological elements of vegetation coverage changes to address the problems induced by climate change. Many studies, ranging from theoretical advances to data-driven analyses, have been devoted to investigating meteorological elements’ roles in changing vegetation coverage. However, little has been considered in the aspect of the meteorological elements’ seasonal scale in data-driven studies. Herein, taking China as an example, we collected satellite-derived vegetation coverage data from 2000 to 2020. We then analyzed the meteorological elements, on a seasonal scale, that affect the vegetation coverage change in terms of temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. We revealed that the critical meteorological elements facilitating vegetation coverage area change differ in both time and space and gave a detailed analysis in line with such findings. Moreover, an apparent seasonal delay effect of meteorological elements on the vegetation coverage change is uncovered.

Highlights

Changes in ecosystem structure and function are caused by climate change, topography, and human activities, such as afforestation [1, 2]
This article analyzes the relationship between meteorological elements and vegetation on a seasonal scale in China
Low-coverage areas are mainly distributed in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia as well as Tibet, and high-coverage areas are in southern and northeast China; TEM and TPR gradually increase from the northwest to southeast (Figures 2A1–C1)

Summary

Introduction

Changes in ecosystem structure and function are caused by climate change, topography, and human activities, such as afforestation [1, 2]. The vegetation mainly interacts with the outside world through leaf stomata; the leaf stomatal state and conductance has remarkable difference under different climatic conditions [10, 11]. Most vegetation only opens stomata under light and interacts with the external environment; stomatal conductance is determined by temperature, moisture, humidity, and CO2 concentration [12,13,14,15]. Temperature, precipitation, humidity, solar radiation, and CO2 concentration will affect vegetation growth [16,17,18,19,20]

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion