Impact of thermal condition on vegetation feedback under greening trend of China

Abstract

In China, an unambiguous greening trend was observed over the last three decades. The feedback induced by vegetation growth can affect regional climate. Here, we investigated how vegetation feeds back to land surface temperature (LST) in temperature zones and land-use types in China using 18-years (2001–2018) of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. We first showed that vegetation feedback was significantly negative (p < 0.1, t-test) in most parts of China. Specifically, we discovered a downtrend of vegetation feedback from the coldest temperature zone to the hottest temperature zone. Moreover, vegetation feedback and thermal condition showed an inverse relationship among temperature zones. The inverse relationship clarified that vegetation growth can cool most parts of China during climate change. In the end, we showed the pattern of vegetation feedback among land-use types. Due to the expansion of grassland, vegetation feedback may temporarily positive. Suitable vegetation coverage in urban land, banning deforestation, and cultivating land reasonably can decrease the local temperature by inducing negative vegetation feedback.