Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau
Vegetation, as a fundamental component of terrestrial ecosystems, plays a pivotal role in the flux of water, heat, and nutrients between the lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Assessing the impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation dynamics is essential for maintaining the he...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Ning Li Di Wang |
| author_facet | Ning Li Di Wang |
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| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vegetation, as a fundamental component of terrestrial ecosystems, plays a pivotal role in the flux of water, heat, and nutrients between the lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Assessing the impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation dynamics is essential for maintaining the health and stability of fragile ecosystems, such as the Yarlung Zangbo River (YZR) basin of the Tibetan Plateau, the highest-elevation river basin in the world. Vegetation responses to climate change are inherently asymmetric, characterized by distinct temporal effects. However, these temporal effects remain poorly understood, particularly in high-altitude ecosystems. Here, we examine the spatiotemporal changes in leaf area index (LAI) and four climatic factors—air temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and solar radiation—in the YZR basin over the period 2000–2019. We further explore the time-lag and time-accumulation impacts of these climatic factors on LAI dynamics and apply an enhanced residual trend analysis to disentangle the relative contributions of climate change and human activities. Results indicated that (1) a modest increase in annual LAI at a rate of 0.02 m<sup>2</sup> m<sup>−2</sup> dec<sup>−1</sup> was detected across the YZR basin. Spatially, LAI increased in 66% of vegetated areas, with significant increases (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in 10% of the basin. (2) Temperature, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration exhibited minimal time-lag (<0.5 months) but pronounced notable time-accumulation effects on LAI variations, with accumulation periods ranging from 1 to 2 months. In contrast, solar radiation demonstrated significant time-lag impacts, with an average lag period of 2.4 months, while its accumulation effects were relatively weaker. (3) Climate change and human activities contributed 0.023 ± 0.092 and –0.005 ± 0.109 m<sup>2</sup> m<sup>−2</sup> dec<sup>−1</sup> to LAI changes, respectively, accounting for 60% and 40% on the observed variability. Spatially, climate change accounted for 85% of the changes in LAI in the upper YZR basin, while vegetation dynamics in the lower basin was primarily driven by human activities, contributing 63%. In the middle basin, vegetation dynamics were influenced by the combined effects of climate change and human activities. Our findings deepen insights into the drivers of vegetation dynamics and provide critical guidance for formulating adaptive management strategies in alpine ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5956eb5b49c94e18a9c0079a501eff8d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-5956eb5b49c94e18a9c0079a501eff8d2025-01-10T13:20:26ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-01-0117116010.3390/rs17010160Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan PlateauNing Li0Di Wang1State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaVegetation, as a fundamental component of terrestrial ecosystems, plays a pivotal role in the flux of water, heat, and nutrients between the lithosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Assessing the impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation dynamics is essential for maintaining the health and stability of fragile ecosystems, such as the Yarlung Zangbo River (YZR) basin of the Tibetan Plateau, the highest-elevation river basin in the world. Vegetation responses to climate change are inherently asymmetric, characterized by distinct temporal effects. However, these temporal effects remain poorly understood, particularly in high-altitude ecosystems. Here, we examine the spatiotemporal changes in leaf area index (LAI) and four climatic factors—air temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and solar radiation—in the YZR basin over the period 2000–2019. We further explore the time-lag and time-accumulation impacts of these climatic factors on LAI dynamics and apply an enhanced residual trend analysis to disentangle the relative contributions of climate change and human activities. Results indicated that (1) a modest increase in annual LAI at a rate of 0.02 m<sup>2</sup> m<sup>−2</sup> dec<sup>−1</sup> was detected across the YZR basin. Spatially, LAI increased in 66% of vegetated areas, with significant increases (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in 10% of the basin. (2) Temperature, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration exhibited minimal time-lag (<0.5 months) but pronounced notable time-accumulation effects on LAI variations, with accumulation periods ranging from 1 to 2 months. In contrast, solar radiation demonstrated significant time-lag impacts, with an average lag period of 2.4 months, while its accumulation effects were relatively weaker. (3) Climate change and human activities contributed 0.023 ± 0.092 and –0.005 ± 0.109 m<sup>2</sup> m<sup>−2</sup> dec<sup>−1</sup> to LAI changes, respectively, accounting for 60% and 40% on the observed variability. Spatially, climate change accounted for 85% of the changes in LAI in the upper YZR basin, while vegetation dynamics in the lower basin was primarily driven by human activities, contributing 63%. In the middle basin, vegetation dynamics were influenced by the combined effects of climate change and human activities. Our findings deepen insights into the drivers of vegetation dynamics and provide critical guidance for formulating adaptive management strategies in alpine ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/1/160vegetation dynamicsleaf area indextime-lag effecttime-accumulation effectclimate changehuman activities |
| spellingShingle | Ning Li Di Wang Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau Remote Sensing vegetation dynamics leaf area index time-lag effect time-accumulation effect climate change human activities |
| title | Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full | Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_short | Quantifying Time-Lag and Time-Accumulation Effects of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Dynamics in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_sort | quantifying time lag and time accumulation effects of climate change and human activities on vegetation dynamics in the yarlung zangbo river basin of the tibetan plateau |
| topic | vegetation dynamics leaf area index time-lag effect time-accumulation effect climate change human activities |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/1/160 |
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