Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (12): 1959-1968.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.12.09

• Plant Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatiotemporal characteristics of vegetation carbon use efficiency and its sensitivity to climate in the Yellow River Basin in Shaanxi Province

WANG Juan1,2(),WANG Zhao1,2,GUO Bin3,4,HE Huijuan1,2(),DONG Jinfang1,2   

  1. 1. Shaanxi Meteorological Service Center of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Economic Crop, Xi’an 710014, Shaanxi, China
    2. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Eco-environment and Meteorology for the Qinling Mountains and Loess Plateau, Shaanxi Meteorological Bureau, Xi’an 710014, Shaanxi, China
    3. Institute of Plateau Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Chengdu/Heavy Rain and Drought-Flood Disasters in Plateau and Basin Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan, China
    4. Aba Prefecture Meteorological Administration, Maerkang 624000, Sichuan, China
  • Received:2023-02-16 Revised:2023-09-13 Online:2023-12-15 Published:2023-12-18

Abstract:

Vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE) can objectively reflect the efficiency of vegetation in sequestering atmospheric carbon and the response of vegetation to climate change. Using MOD17, land use, and meteorological data, this study applied methods, such as the Hurst exponent, correlation analysis, and sensitivity analysis to explore the spatiotemporal variability of vegetation CUE and its sensitivity to climate factors in the Shaanxi section of the Yellow River Basin from 2001 to 2021. The results showed that (1) From 2001 to 2021, the gross primary productivity, net primary productivity (NPP), and vegetation CUE in the Shaanxi section of the Yellow River Basin exhibited an increasing trend, with an average CUE value of 0.51. (2) The study area was only 14.21% of the region, exhibiting a decreasing trend. The high-value areas of vegetation CUE are primarily concentrated in the windbreak and sand-fixation areas and the Grain for Green Project areas of northern Shaanxi. The areas where vegetation CUE indicated a decreasing trend accounted for 59.96%, most of which transitioned from an increasing trend to a decreasing trend. (3) Overall, temperature and precipitation correlated negatively with vegetation CUE, but the relationship with precipitation is more significant. Regions with positive correlations with temperature and precipitation are distributed in northern Shaanxi’s windbreak and sand-fixation areas. Sensitivity analysis of temperature and precipitation showed that the threshold values were 10 °C and 500 mm, respectively. When the temperature is below 10 °C and the precipitation is below 500 mm, the vegetation CUE increases with increasing temperature and precipitation. The relationship between vegetation CUE and climate factors is more significant and sensitive in arid areas, such as the conversion of farmland to forests and windbreak and sand-fixation areas in northern Shaanxi.

Key words: vegetation CUE, spatiotemporal characteristics, Hurst, climate factors, sensitivity, Yellow River Basin