Changing Spring Phenology Dates in the Three-Rivers Headwater Region of the Tibetan Plateau during 1960–2013

The variation of the vegetation growing season in the Three-Rivers Headwater Region of the Tibetan Plateau has recently become a controversial topic. One issue is that the estimated local trend in the start of the vegetation growing season(SOS)based on remote sensing data is easily affected by outliers because this data series is short. In this study, we determine that the spring minimum temperature is the most influential factor for SOS. The significant negative linear relationship between the two variables in the region is evaluated using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer–Normalized Difference Vegetation Index data for 2000–13. We then reconstruct the SOS time series based on the temperature data for 1960–2013.The regional mean SOS shows an advancing trend of 1.42 d(10 yr)during 1960–2013, with the SOS occurring on the 160th and 151st days in 1960 and 2013, respectively. The advancing trend enhances to 6.04 d(10 yr)during the past 14 years. The spatiotemporal variations of the reconstructed SOS data are similar to those deduced from remote sensing data during the past 14 years. The latter exhibit an even larger regional mean trend of SOS [7.98 d(10 yr)] during 2000–13. The Arctic Oscillation is found to have significantly influenced the changing SOS, especially for the eastern part of the region,during 2000–13.

Ecosystem changes revealed by land cover in the three-river headwaters region of Qinghai,China(1990–2015)

The Three-River Headwaters Region(TRHR) of Qinghai Province, in the Tibetan Plateau of China, is the main source of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers, and is very significant to the security of freshwater resources for China and southeastern Asia. It is a critical ecological region of China for its ecological functions, and has been changed or even degraded in recent decades owing to climate change and human pressure. To effectively protect and restore the degraded ecosystems, the Chinese government initiated a series of ecological conservation projects in TRHR. It is essential to quantitatively assess ecosystem changes and their relationship to driving factors for indepth understanding of long-term changes of ecosystems and effects of ecological restoration policies and offer practical insights for ecological restoration. Here, land cover data has been interpreted with the series data of Landsat during 1990–2015. The patterns of different ecosystems and their developing process have been derived from land cover change. The results show that ecosystem types in TRHR include forest, grassland, cropland,wetland, artificial surface and barren land, accounting for 4.51%, 70.80%, 0.15%, 9.47%, 0.16% and 14.90%,respectively. Barren land converted to wetland was the significant ecosystem change from 1990 to 2015. Increases in temperature and precipitation and implementation of ecological rehabilitation helped maintain relatively stable ecosystem patterns. It is necessary to continue ecological projects to improve and/or maintain the ecosystems in TRHR because there is still a risk of land degradation under increasing climate change and human activity.

Grassland degradation in the ＂Three-River Headwaters＂ region, Qinghai Province

Supported by MSS images in the mid and late 1970s,TM images in the early 1990s and TM/ETM images in 2004,grassland degradation in the＂Three-River Headwaters＂region （TRH region）was interpreted through analysis on RS images in two time series,then the spatial and temporal characteristics of grassland degradation in the TRH region were analyzed since the 1970s.The results showed that grassland degradation in the TRH region was a continuous change process which had large affected area and long time scale,and rapidly strengthen phenomenon did not exist in the 1990s as a whole.Grassland degradation pattern in the TRH region took shape initially in the mid and late 1970s.Since the 1970s,this degradation process has taken place continuously,obviously characterizing different rules in different regions.In humid and semi-humid meadow region,grassland firstly fragmentized, then vegetation coverage decreased continuously,and finally＂black-soil-patch＂degraded grassland was formed.But in semi-arid and arid steppe region,the vegetation coverage decreased continuously,and finally desertification was formed.Because grassland degradation had obviously regional differences in the TRH region,it could be regionalized into 7 zones, and each zone had different characteristics in type,grade,scale and time process of grassland degradation.

Assessing the effects of vegetation and precipitation on soil erosion in the Three-River Headwaters Region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Soil erosion in the Three-River Headwaters Region(TRHR)of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China has a significant impact on local economic development and ecological environment.Vegetation and precipitation are considered to be the main factors for the variation in soil erosion.However,it is a big challenge to analyze the impacts of precipitation and vegetation respectively as well as their combined effects on soil erosion from the pixel scale.To assess the influences of vegetation and precipitation on the variation of soil erosion from 2005 to 2015,we employed the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE)model to evaluate soil erosion in the TRHR,and then developed a method using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model(LMDI)which can exponentially decompose the influencing factors,to calculate the contribution values of the vegetation cover factor(C factor)and the rainfall erosivity factor(R factor)to the variation of soil erosion from the pixel scale.In general,soil erosion in the TRHR was alleviated from 2005 to 2015,of which about 54.95%of the area where soil erosion decreased was caused by the combined effects of the C factor and the R factor,and 41.31%was caused by the change in the R factor.There were relatively few areas with increased soil erosion modulus,of which 64.10%of the area where soil erosion increased was caused by the change in the C factor,and 23.88%was caused by the combined effects of the C factor and the R factor.Therefore,the combined effects of the C factor and the R factor were regarded as the main driving force for the decrease of soil erosion,while the C factor was the dominant factor for the increase of soil erosion.The area with decreased soil erosion caused by the C factor(12.10×10^3 km^2)was larger than the area with increased soil erosion caused by the C factor(8.30×10^3 km^2),which indicated that vegetation had a positive effect on soil erosion.This study generally put forward a new method for quantitative assessment of the impacts of the influencing factors on soil erosion,and also provided a scientific basis for the regional control of soil erosion.

A method for determining vegetation growth process using remote sensing data: A case study in the Three-River Headwaters Region, China

Accurate measurements of the associated vegetation phenological dynamics are crucial for understanding the relationship between climate change and terrestrial ecosystems. However, at present, most vegetation phenological calculations are based on a single algorithm or method. Because of the spatial, temporal, and ecological complexity of the vegetation growth processes, a single algorithm or method for monitoring all these processes has been indicated to be elusive. Therefore, in this study, from the perspective of plant growth characteristics, we established a method to remotely determine the start of the growth season(SOG) and the end of the growth season(EOG), in which the maximum relative change rate of the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) corresponds to the SOG, and the next minimum absolute change rate of the NDVI corresponds to the EOG. Taking the Three-River Headwaters Region in 2000–2013 as an example, we ascertained the spatiotemporal and vertical characteristics of its vegetation phenological changes. Then, in contrast to the actual air temperature data, observed data and other related studies, we found that the SOG and EOG calculated by the proposed method is closer to the time corresponding to the air temperature, and the trends of the SOG and EOG calculated by the proposed method are in good agreement with other relevant studies. Meantime, the error of the SOG between the calculated and observed in this study is smaller than that in other studies.

Quantifying impacts of climate and human activities on the grassland in the Three-River Headwater Region after two phases of Ecological Project

The Three-River Headwater Region(TRHR)of China is a typical representative of the alpine environment in the Central Asian plateau and the alpine grassland in the world.Grassland degradation is one of its serious eco-logical problems.The purpose of this study is to quantify the joint impacts of climate and human activities on grassland changes in TRHR after two phases of Ecological Conservation and Construction Project(Ecological Project).Grassland vegetation coverage is selected as an indicator for analyzing grassland changes.We adopt Sen+Mann-Kendall trend analysis,residual trend analysis and correlation analysis methods to analyze the trends in spatial-temporal changes and driving factors of grassland in TRHR from 2000 to 2019.The results show that:(1)The grassland has been mainly restored,and the degraded grassland area only accounts for 1.66%of TRHR.After the implementation of the first phase of the Ecological Project,the percentage of restored grassland area has significantly increased from 8.82%to 24.57%,and slightly decreased during the second phase.(2)The establish-ment of national nature reserves and the implementation of the Ecological Project have changed the situation that“the grassland inside the reserve is worse than that outside the reserve”.(3)Grassland restoration is mainly af-fected by the joint effects of climate and human activities.Nevertheless,grassland degradation is mainly affected by human activities such as overgrazing and grassland reclamation.All of these findings can enrich our under-standing of grassland restoration in TRHR.Artificial measures have certain limitations in promoting grassland restoration.Natural restoration should be considered when human beings strengthen ecological conservation and transform their production and life styles.

Study on the Status and Topographic Heterogeneity of the Headwater Region of the Three Rivers

The ecological environment of the Three-River Headwater Region is primitive and unique,and sensitive and complex to external influences.The Three-River Headwater Region is the largest nature reserve in China,and is also a nature reserve with the highest concentration of biodiversity in the world's high-altitude areas,so the protection of ecological diversity in this region is particularly important.Ecological diversity is the material basis on which the entire humanity depends to survive and develop.It not only provides humans with basic needs such as food,energy and materials,and is also extremely important for maintaining ecological balance,regulating the climate and promoting the sustainable development of the region.Studying the topographical heterogeneity of the region is first of all a true grasp of the topography of the region,which has certain guiding significance for people's production and life.In addition,studying the impact of topographical heterogeneity on the climate of the region will help to study the formation and variation of regional climate.

Spatial patterns of ecosystem vulnerability changes during 2001–2011 in the three-river source region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

The three-river source region (TRSR, including Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers), located in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, is a typical alpine zone with apparent ecosystem vulnerability and sensitivity. In this paper, we introduced many interdisciplinary factors, such as landscape pattern indices (Shannon diversity index and Shannon evenness index) and extreme climate factors (number of extreme high temperature days, number of extreme low temperature days, and number of extreme precipitation days), to establish a new model for evaluating the spatial patterns of ecosystem vulnerability changes in the TRSR. The change intensity (CI) of ecosystem vulnerability was also analyzed. The results showed that the established evaluation model was effective and the ecosystem vulnerability in the whole study area was intensive. During the study period of 2001–2011, there was a slight degradation in the eco-environmental quality. The Yellow River source region had the best eco-environmental quality, while the Yangtze River source region had the worst one. In addition, the zones dominated by deserts were the most severely deteriorated areas and the eco-environmental quality of the zones occupied by evergreen coniferous forests showed a better change. Furthermore, the larger the change rates of the climate factors (accumulative temperature of ≥10°C and annual average precipitation) are, the more intensive the CI of ecosystem vulnerability is. This study would provide a scientific basis for the eco-environmental protection and restoration in the TRSR.

Climate Change and Ecological Projects Jointly Promote Vegetation Restoration in Three-River Source Region of China

As the source of the Yellow River,Yangtze River,and Lancang River,the Three-River Source Region(TRSR)in China is very important to China’s ecological security.In recent decades,TRSR’s ecosystem has degraded because of climate change and human disturbances.Therefore,a range of ecological projects were initiated by Chinese government around 2000 to curb further degradation.Current research shows that the vegetation of the TRSR has been initially restored over the past two decades,but the respective contribution of ecological projects and climate change in vegetation restoration has not been clarified.Here,we used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)Enhanced Vegetation Index(EVI)to assess the spatial-temporal variations in vegetation and explore the impact of climate and human actions on vegetation in TRSR during 2001–2018.The results showed that about 26.02%of the TRSR had a significant increase in EVI over the 18 yr,with an increasing rate of 0.010/10 yr(P<0.05),and EVI significantly decreased in only 3.23%of the TRSR.Residual trend analysis indicated vegetation restoration was jointly promoted by climate and human actions,and the promotion of human actions was greater compared with that of climate,with relative contributions of 59.07%and40.93%,respectively.However,the degradation of vegetation was mainly caused by human actions,with a relative contribution of71.19%.Partial correlation analysis showed that vegetation was greatly affected by temperature(r=0.62,P<0.05)due to the relatively sufficient moisture but lower temperature in TRSR.Furthermore,the establishment of nature reserves and the implementation of the Ecological Protection and Restoration Program(EPRP)improved vegetation,and the first stage EPRP had a better effect on vegetation restoration than the second stage.Our findings identify the driving factors of vegetation change and lay the foundation for subsequent effective management.

三江源区草地水土保持与防风固沙功能临界植被覆盖度时空变化分析

三江源区是中国重要的生态安全屏障,其水土保持与防风固沙功能对中国及其周边地区生态安全具有重大意义。水土保持与防风固沙功能临界植被覆盖度是三江源草地生态保护与恢复的关键指标,但其变化尚不明确。本研究利用修正通用土壤流失方程(RUSLE)和修正通用土壤风蚀方程(RWEQ)模拟了1979—2018年三江源区草地水土保持与防风固沙功能临界植被覆盖度并分析了其时空变化。结果表明:(1)近40年来,三江源区草地水土保持功能临界植被覆盖度东南高、西北低,多年平均值为12.21%±1.42%,年增长率为0.30%(P<0.01)。(2)防风固沙功能临界植被覆盖度西北高、东南低,多年平均值为39.84%±11.94%,有不显著增长趋势。(3)水土保持及防风固沙功能临界植被覆盖度西北高、东南低,多年平均值为45.38%±10.04%,年增长率为0.32%(P<0.05),变化范围为11.73%~58.56%。三江源区西北部水土保持及防风固沙功能临界植被覆盖度大于50%,西南大部分区域不超过40%。(4)水土保持及防风固沙功能临界植被覆盖度在长江源区和黄河源区东北部呈下降趋势,其中黄河源东北部下降趋势显著(P<0.01),在黄河源区南部和澜沧江源区呈显著上升趋势(P<0.01)。本研究结果可为三江源生态环境保护以及高寒草地多目标管理提供科学依据与数据支撑。

近60年三江源地区降水集中度和季节性降水特征变化分析

三江源作为“中华水塔”,是中国重要的淡水之源和生态系统屏障。降水集中度、季节降水量、降水频率和降水强度的演变是气候变暖背景下水循环的关键过程,对植被生长和水资源管理具有重要意义。本研究利用中国气象局1961-2020年的CN05.1日降水格点数据,计算了三江源的降水集中度指数(Precipitation Concentration Index,PCI),厘清了三江源降水集中度和降水年内分配的演变规律,研究了季节降水量、降水频率和降水强度的气候态、年际变化、长期趋势以及距平变化。研究结果表明:(1)三江源地区降水集中指数PCI为17.5,降水具有一定集中性;整个区域PCI由东南向西北递增,降水集中度增大;近60年三江源地区PCI以-1.71%·(10a)^(-1)的变化率减小,降水的年内分配趋于均匀;生长季降水分配的减少将影响该地区农业生产和生态系统的维持。(2)近60年不同季节降水量和降水强度整体呈现显著增加趋势,夏季降水频率减少,其他季节降水频率增加;春夏秋三个季节降水强度的增加主导了降水量的增加,冬季降水频率的增加主导了降水量的增加。冬春季增湿高于夏秋季,春季降水量和降水强度的增长率为8.09%·(10a)-1和6.94%·(10a)^(-1),冬季降雪量和降雪频率的增长率为7.27%·(10a)^(-1)和4.4%·(10a)^(-1);长江源区部分地区的旱涝分布趋于极端化,生态系统的脆弱性加剧。(3)近60年三江源区域平均的降水量、降水频率和降水强度以每年1.36 mm、0.024%和0.0056 mm·d^(-1)的数值增加;降水量、降水频率和降水强度累积距平整体呈现负距平,突变年份分别为2003年、1989年和2003年;雨季降水频率减小,降水强度增加,旱季降水频率和降水强度均增加,这种变化在近10年尤为剧烈。本研究可以为该地区土壤侵蚀、农业生产、水资源管理以及气候变化相关研究提供参考。

基于贝叶斯模型平均的2003–2015年青海三江源地区地表蒸散发数据集

蒸散发(Evapotranspiration,ET)是陆地水、碳和能量交换的重要组成部分。基于不同模型和不同遥感数据估算的ET,存在不同程度的不确定性。贝叶斯模型平均(Bayesian model averaging,BMA)提供了降低不确定性的一种途径。本研究采用中国三江源地区水热通量观测数据,以ARTS、PT-JPL、MOD16和SSEBop遥感蒸散发产品为基础,进行了BMA集成研究,生成了三江源地区2003–2015年250 m空间分辨率的年均地表蒸散发数据集。通过验证各输入模型和BMA集成模型结果,发现基于BMA的ET与通量观测数据相关性达0.94,能够解释观测数据季节变化的89%,优于单个模型的性能。说明BMA模型集成能够整合不同模型内在优势,降低结果估算的不确定性,从而获得更可靠的估算结果。本数据集可为三江源区域水热变化研究和生态系统调节功能评估提供更精确的数据支持。

三江源区高寒草原退化对不同生长期土壤真菌群落的影响

土壤真菌群落在草地生态系统物质循环过程中扮演着重要角色,但草地退化对不同生长期土壤真菌群落的影响尚不清楚。本研究以三江源高寒草原为研究对象,通过野外调查和高通量测序技术,探究草原退化对植物不同生长期土壤真菌群落特征的影响及其驱动因素。结果表明,三江源区高寒草原不同生长期土壤真菌群落优势菌门均为子囊菌门和担子菌门,草原退化显著降低了优势菌门的相对丰度;在不同生长期土壤真菌群落多样性存在显著差异(P<0.05),表现为生长季初期较低,末期则较高;草原退化对土壤真菌群落多样性影响不显著(P>0.05),但显著改变了不同生长期内土壤真菌群落结构(P<0.05);相比于原生草原,退化草原土壤真菌群落结构与植物群落特征表现出更强的相关关系,植物群落生物量和土壤有机质含量是显著影响退化草原土壤真菌群落结构的主要因子(P<0.05)。研究结果表明,草原退化改变了土壤真菌群落结构,增强了土壤真菌群落的资源限制。因此,针对植被群落的修复将有利于退化高寒草原土壤真菌群落的恢复。

三江源区蒸散发时空变化特征及影响因素分析

为研究2001~2020年三江源区蒸散发的时空变化特征以及影响因素,基于MOD16A2数据和气象数据,采用Slope趋势分析、MK显著性检验和偏相关分析,分析了三江源区蒸散发的年际变化、空间分布、趋势变化和对气候的响应。结果表明:2001~2020年三江源区多年平均蒸散发为401.28 mm,平均以0.9821 mm/a的速率缓慢增加。三江源区蒸散发空间变化范围为46.51~575.59 mm,呈现东部高、西部低的特征;2001~2020年三江源区蒸散发主要呈现上升的趋势,主要分布在三江源区的东北部地区;气温升高对蒸散发增加起到了显著的促进作用。研究成果可为三江源区水资源管理、生态环境保护以及气候变化适应等方面提供参考。

三江源地区近地表土壤冻融时空变化

近地表土壤冻融过程影响土壤和大气之间的水分与能量交换,研究其动态变化对揭示多年冻土退化过程具有重要意义。受限于高海拔地区地表观测数据的获取,过去多关注多年冻土区土壤冻融水热运移特征,缺乏对土壤冻融长期变化趋势及其时空变化特征的研究。青海三江源地区是青藏高原多年冻土分布区,是全球气候变化的敏感区和关键带。本文基于野外观测数据评估ERA5-Land地温数据的精度,分析1980—2021年三江源地区近地表土壤冻融时空变化特征。结果表明:(1)ERA5-Land表层土壤温度数据与国家气象局23个站点观测数据的相关系数均值为0.94,均方根误差均值为4.49℃;与6个活动层站点观测数据的相关系数均值为0.96,均方根误差均值为2.57℃,能够满足三江源地区土壤冻融时空变化研究要求。(2)三江源地区地表土壤温度年均值、春季、夏季、秋季和冬季空间分布均表现为东部高、西部低;近地表土壤温度夏季增幅最大,秋季增幅最小,春季、夏季增幅整体高于秋季、冬季。(3)1980—2021年三江源地区冻结天数和冻结持续时间呈现显著减少趋势,减小幅度分别为4.99 d/10a和6.77 d/10a;冻结起始时间推迟,变化幅度为3.43 d/10a;冻结结束时间提前,变化幅度为3.35 d/10a。(4)三江源地区西部高海拔地区植被覆盖度远低于东部低海拔区,这可能是造成三江源地区低海拔区域冻结天数减小幅度明显低于高海拔区域的一个重要原因。本研究利用ERA5-Land数据填补了三江源地区土壤冻融时空变化的宏观认识,可为进一步准确认识三江源地区多年冻土空间退化特征提供参考。

Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau

The Three-River Headwaters(TRH)region in the Tibetan Plateau is vulnerable to climate change;changes in summer(June–August)precipitation have a significant impact on water security and sustainability in both local and downstream areas.However,the changes in summer precipitation of different intensities over the TRH region,along with their influencing factors,remain unclear.In this study,we used observational and ERA5 reanalysis data and employed a precipitation categorization and water vapor budget analysis to quantify the categorized precipitation variations and investigate their possible linkages with the water vapor budget.Our results showed an increasing trend in summer precipitation at a rate of 0.9 per year(p<0.1)during 1979–2020,with a significant dry-to-wet transition in 2002.The category‘very heavy precipitation’(10 mm d−1)contributed 65.1%of the increased summer precipitation,which occurred frequently in the northern TRH region.The dry-to-wet transition was caused by the effects of varied atmospheric circulations in each subregion.Southwesterly water vapor transport through the southern boundary was responsible for the increased net water vapor flux in the western TRH region(158.2%),while southeasterly water vapor transport through the eastern boundary was responsible for the increased net water vapor flux in the central TRH(155.2%)and eastern TRH(229.2%)regions.Therefore,we inferred that the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation and the increased‘very heavy precipitation’over the TRH was caused by increased easterly and southerly water vapor transport.

Livestock-carrying capacity and overgrazing status of alpine grassland in the Three-River Headwaters region, China

The Three-River Headwaters region in China is an ecological barrier providing en- vironmental protection and regional sustainable development for the mid-stream and down- stream areas, which also plays an important role in animal husbandry in China. This study estimated the grassland yield in the Three-River Headwaters region based on MODIS NPP data, and calculated the proper livestock-carrying capacity of the grassland. We analyzed the overgrazing number and its spatial distribution characteristics through data comparison be- tween actual and proper livestock-carrying capacity. The results showed the following： （1） total grassland yield （hay） in the Three-River Headwaters region was 10.96 million tons in 2010 with an average grassland yield of 465.70 kg/hm2 （the spatial distribution presents a decreasing trend from the east and southeast to the west and northwest in turn）; （2） the proper livestock-carrying capacity in the Three-River Headwaters region is 12.19 million sheep units （hereafter described as ＂SU＂）, and the average stocking capacity is 51.27 SU [the proper carrying capacity is above 100 SU/km2 in the eastern counties, 60 SU/km2 in the cen- tral counties （except Madoi County）, and 30 SU/km2 in the western counties]; and （3） total overgrazing number was 6.52 million SU in the Three-River Headwaters region in 2010, with an average overgrazing ratio of 67.88% and an average overgrazing number of 27.43 SU/km2 A higher overgrazing ratio occurred in Tongde, Xinghai, Yushu, Henan and Z^kog. There was no overgrazing in Zhiduo, Tanggula Township and Darlag, Qumerleb and Madoi. The re- mainder of the counties had varying degrees of overgrazing.

Climate change and its driving effect on the runoff in the ＂Three-River Headwaters＂ region

Based on the precipitation and temperature data of the 12 meteorological stations in the ＂Three-River Headwaters＂ region and the observed runoff data of Zhimenda in the headwater sub-region of the Yangtze River, Tangnaihai in the headwater sub-region of the Yellow River and Changdu in the headwater sub-region of the Lancang River during the period 1965-2004, this paper analyses the trends of precipitation, temperature, runoff depth and carries out significance tests by means of Mann-KendalI-Sneyers sequential trend test. Mak- kink model is applied to calculate the potential evaporation. The runoff model driven by pre- cipitation and potential evaporation is developed and the influence on runoff by climate change is simulated under different scenarios. Results show that during the period 1965-2004 the temperature of the ＂Three-River Headwaters＂ region is increasing, the runoff of the three hydrological stations is decreasing and both of them had abrupt changes in 1994, while no significant trend changes happen to the precipitation. The runoff model suggests that the precipitation has a positive effect on the runoff depth, while the potential evaporation plays a negative role. The influence of the potential evaporation on the runoff depth of the Lancang River is found to be the significant in the three rivers; and that of the Yellow River is the least. The result of the scenarios analysis indicates that although the precipitation and the potential evaporation have positive and negative effects on runoff relatively, fluctuated characteristics of individual effect on the runoff depth in specific situations are represented.

A systematic review of research studies on the estimation of net primary productivity in the Three-River Headwater Region, China

The Three-River Headwater Region（TRHR）, known as the ＂Water Tower of China＂, is an important ecological shelter for national security interests and regional sustainable development activities for many downstream regions in China and a number of Southeast Asian countries. The TRHR is a high-elevation, cold environment with a unique, but typical alpine vegetation system. Net primary productivity（NPP） is a key vegetation parameter and ecological indicator that can reflect both natural environmental changes and carbon budget levels. Given the unique geographical environment and strategic location of the TRHR, many scholars have estimated NPP of the TRHR by using different methods; however, these estimates vary greatly for a number of reasons. To date, there is no paper that has reviewed and assessed NPP estimation studies conducted in the TRHR. Therefore, in this paper, we（1） summarized the related methods and results of NPP estimation in the TRHR in a systematic review of previous research;（2） discussed the suitability of existing methods for estimating NPP in the TRHR and highlighted the most significant challenges; and（3） assessed the estimated NPP results. Finally, developmental directions of NPP estimation in the TRHR were prospected.

Spatio-temporal variation of precipitation in the Three-River Headwater Region from 1961 to 2010

Based on a monthly dataset of precipitation time series （1961-2010） from 12 me- teorological stations across the Three-River Headwater Region （THRHR） of Qinghai Province China, the spatio-temporal variation and abrupt change analysis of precipitation were exam- ined by using moving average, linear regression, spline interpolation, the Mann-Kendall test and so on. Major conclusions were as follows. （1） The long-term annual and seasonal pre- cipitation in the study area indicated an increasing trend with some oscillations during 1961-2010; however, the summer precipitation in the Lantsang （Lancang） River Headwater Region （LARHR）, and the autumn precipitation in the Yangtze River Headwater Region （YERHR） of the THRHR decreased in the same period. （2） The amount of annual precipita- tion in the THRHR and its three sub-headwater regions was greater in the 1980s and 2000s. The springs were fairly wet after the 1970s, while the summers were relatively wet in the 1960s, 1980s and 2000s. In addition, the amount of precipitation in the autumn was greater in the 1970s and 1980s, but it was relatively less for the winter precipitation, except in the 1990s （3） The normal values of spring, summer, winter and annual precipitation in the THRHR and its three sub-headwater regions all increased, but the normal value of summer precipitation in the LARHR had a negative trend and the normal value of winter precipitation declined in general. （4） The spring and winter precipitation increased in most of the THRHR. The summer autumn and annual precipitation increased mainly in the marginal area of the west and north and decreased in the regions of Yushu, Zaduo, Jiuzhi and Banma. （5） The spring and winter precipitation in the THRHR and its three sub-headwater regions showed an abrupt change, except for the spring precipitation in the YARHR. The abrupt changes of spring precipitation were mainly in the late 1980s and early 1990s, while the abrupt changes of winter precipita- tion were primary in the mid- to late 1970s. This research would be helpful for further under- standing the trends and periodicity of precipitation and for watershed-based water resource management in the THRHR.