Arid Zone Research ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (8): 1385-1394.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2024.08.12

• Plant Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics of vegetation cover changes in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin and the influencing factors

ZHANG Hongwei1(), BIE Qiang1,2,3(), SHI Ying1, SU Xiaojie1, LI Xinzhang1   

  1. 1. Faculty of Geomatics, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    2. National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Geographical Monitoring Technology Application, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    3. Gansu Engineering Laboratory of Geographical Conditions Monitoring, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
  • Received:2023-11-10 Revised:2024-06-07 Online:2024-08-15 Published:2024-08-22
  • Contact: BIE Qiang E-mail:11230867@stu.lzjtu.edu.cn;bieq@qq.com

Abstract:

Vegetation coverage provides a good reflection of the ecological status of the watershed, and remote sensing technology is important for the large-scale, efficient, and accurate monitoring of changes in vegetation coverage. This study examined the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of vegetation coverage in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin from 2001 to 2020, using the Hurst index and Cv coefficient to test persistence and stability. The effects of climate, topography, and population on changes in vegetation coverage were analyzed. The results showed that the vegetation coverage increased from northeast to southwest, with an increasing trend in 69.25% of the areas. Stable areas accounted for 73.79% of the total area, and areas of strong sustainability accounted for 66.49%. (2) Of the total area, 75.63% was positively correlated with precipitation and 39.28% was positively correlated with temperature. (3) As elevation increased, vegetation coverage first increased and then decreased; coverage was positively correlated with slope but not significantly related to aspect. (4) The vegetation coverage was highest when the population density was 65-85 individuals·km-2 and the GDP was 27000-37000 yuan·km-2, indicating that human activities promoted changes in the vegetation cover in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin. The results of this study provide a scientific reference to support the high-quality ecological development of the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin.

Key words: fractional vegetation cover, temporal change, influencing factors, upper Yellow River Basin