Abstract
Temperatures from 1982 to 2015 have exhibited an asymmetric warming pattern between day and night throughout the Yellow River Basin. The response to this asymmetric warming can be linked to vegetation growth as quantified by the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index). In this study, the time series trends of the maximum temperature (Tmax) and the minimum temperature (Tmin) and their spatial patterns in the growing season (April–October) of the Yellow River Basin from 1982 to 2015 were analyzed. We evaluated how vegetation NDVI had responded to daytime and night-time warming, based on NDVI and meteorological parameters (precipitation and temperature) over the period 1982–2015. We found: (1) a persistent increase in the growing season Tmax and Tmin in 1982–2015 as confirmed by using the Mann–Kendall (M–K) non-parametric test method (p < 0.01), where the rate of increase of Tmin was 1.25 times that of Tmax, and thus the diurnal warming was asymmetric during 1982–2015; (2) the partial correlation between Tmax and NDVI was significantly positive only for cultivated plants, shrubs, and desert, which means daytime warming may increase arid and semi-arid vegetation’s growth and coverage, and cultivated plants’ growth and yield. The partial correlation between Tmin and NDVI of all vegetation types except broadleaf forest is very significant (p < 0.01) and, therefore, it has more impacts vegetation across the whole basin. This study demonstrates a methodogy for studying regional responses of vegetation to climate extremes under global climate change.
Highlights
IntroductionDynamic changes of vegetation and its response to climate change have become the critical issues in the study of global climate change [2,3]
As an important part of the global terrestrial ecosystem, vegetation is playing a major role in modulating regional and global climate change through biogeochemical and biophysical feedbacks [1].Dynamic changes of vegetation and its response to climate change have become the critical issues in the study of global climate change [2,3]
This study demonstrates a methodogy for studying regional responses of vegetation to climate extremes under global climate change
Summary
Dynamic changes of vegetation and its response to climate change have become the critical issues in the study of global climate change [2,3]. Climate change is significantly affecting vegetation growth. Temperature is one of the most important factors that control vegetation growth and production [4]. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report provided further study results that climate warming is asymmetric (IPCC 2013) [5]. The increasing rate of daily minimum temperatures (Tmin ) is globally 1.4 times the daily maximum temperature (Tmax ), which is known as asymmetric warming [6,7]. Asymmetric climate warming would affect plant growth and above-ground biomas. Since most plants photosynthesize during the daytime, Sensors 2019, 19, 1832; doi:10.3390/s19081832 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors
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