Changes in vegetation phenology are key indicators of the response of ecosystems to climate change.Therefore,knowledge of growing seasons is essential to predict ecosystem changes,especially for regions with a fragile...Changes in vegetation phenology are key indicators of the response of ecosystems to climate change.Therefore,knowledge of growing seasons is essential to predict ecosystem changes,especially for regions with a fragile ecosystem such as the Loess Plateau.In this study,based on the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) data,we estimated and analyzed the vegetation phenology in the Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2010 for the beginning,length,and end of the growing season,measuring changes in trends and their relationship to climatic factors.The results show that for 54.84% of the vegetation,the trend was an advancement of the beginning of the growing season(BGS),while for 67.64% the trend was a delay in the end of the growing season(EGS).The length of the growing season(LGS) was extended for 66.28% of the vegetation in the plateau.While the temperature is important for the vegetation to begin the growing season in this region,warmer climate may lead to drought and can become a limiting factor for vegetation growth.We found that increasedprecipitation benefits the advancement of the BGS in this area.Areas with a delayed EGS indicated that the appropriate temperature and rainfall in autumn or winter enhanced photosynthesis and extended the growth process.A positive correlation with precipitation was found for 76.53% of the areas with an extended LGS,indicating that precipitation is one of the key factors in changes in the vegetation phenology in this water-limited region.Precipitation plays an important role in determining the phenological activities of the vegetation in arid and semiarid areas,such as the Loess Plateau.The extended growing season will significantly influence both the vegetation productivity and the carbon fixation capacity in this region.展开更多
Understanding the relationships between snow and vegetation is important for interpretation of the responses of alpine ecosystems to climate changes.The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is regarded as an ideal area due to its ...Understanding the relationships between snow and vegetation is important for interpretation of the responses of alpine ecosystems to climate changes.The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is regarded as an ideal area due to its undisturbed features with low population and relatively high snow cover.We used 500 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)datasets during 2001–2010 to examine the snow–vegetation relationships,specifically,(1)the influence of snow melting date on vegetation green-up date and(2)the effects of snow cover duration on vegetation greenness.The results showed that the alpine vegetation responded strongly to snow phenology(i.e.,snow melting date and snow cover duration)over large areas of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Snow melting date and vegetation green-up date were significantly correlated(p<0.1)in 39.9% of meadow areas(accounting for 26.2% of vegetated areas)and 36.7% of steppe areas(28.1% of vegetated areas).Vegetation growth was influenced by different seasonal snow cover durations(SCDs)in different regions.Generally,the December–February and March–May SCDs played a significantly role in vegetation growth,both positively and negatively,depending on different water source regions.Snow’s positive impact on vegetation was larger than the negative impact.展开更多
基金supported by the“Strategic Priority Research Program-Climate Change:Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues’’of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA05060104)
文摘Changes in vegetation phenology are key indicators of the response of ecosystems to climate change.Therefore,knowledge of growing seasons is essential to predict ecosystem changes,especially for regions with a fragile ecosystem such as the Loess Plateau.In this study,based on the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) data,we estimated and analyzed the vegetation phenology in the Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2010 for the beginning,length,and end of the growing season,measuring changes in trends and their relationship to climatic factors.The results show that for 54.84% of the vegetation,the trend was an advancement of the beginning of the growing season(BGS),while for 67.64% the trend was a delay in the end of the growing season(EGS).The length of the growing season(LGS) was extended for 66.28% of the vegetation in the plateau.While the temperature is important for the vegetation to begin the growing season in this region,warmer climate may lead to drought and can become a limiting factor for vegetation growth.We found that increasedprecipitation benefits the advancement of the BGS in this area.Areas with a delayed EGS indicated that the appropriate temperature and rainfall in autumn or winter enhanced photosynthesis and extended the growth process.A positive correlation with precipitation was found for 76.53% of the areas with an extended LGS,indicating that precipitation is one of the key factors in changes in the vegetation phenology in this water-limited region.Precipitation plays an important role in determining the phenological activities of the vegetation in arid and semiarid areas,such as the Loess Plateau.The extended growing season will significantly influence both the vegetation productivity and the carbon fixation capacity in this region.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.30871497)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2009AA101101)the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to University(Grant No.B08025)
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant 41271372)the National Basic Research Program of China(973)(Grant No.2009CB723906)。
文摘Understanding the relationships between snow and vegetation is important for interpretation of the responses of alpine ecosystems to climate changes.The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is regarded as an ideal area due to its undisturbed features with low population and relatively high snow cover.We used 500 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)datasets during 2001–2010 to examine the snow–vegetation relationships,specifically,(1)the influence of snow melting date on vegetation green-up date and(2)the effects of snow cover duration on vegetation greenness.The results showed that the alpine vegetation responded strongly to snow phenology(i.e.,snow melting date and snow cover duration)over large areas of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Snow melting date and vegetation green-up date were significantly correlated(p<0.1)in 39.9% of meadow areas(accounting for 26.2% of vegetated areas)and 36.7% of steppe areas(28.1% of vegetated areas).Vegetation growth was influenced by different seasonal snow cover durations(SCDs)in different regions.Generally,the December–February and March–May SCDs played a significantly role in vegetation growth,both positively and negatively,depending on different water source regions.Snow’s positive impact on vegetation was larger than the negative impact.