Assessment of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Development in Northeast China

Lin, Xue; Kappas, Martin; Wyss, Daniel F.; Wang, Chaoqun; Putzenlechner, Birgitta; Thi, Nhung Pham; Chen, Jiquan

doi:10.3390/s22072509

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Several studies confirmed that there was a significant upward trend in vegetation cover in the Northeast after 2000 (M. L. Li, Yan, et al, 2022; Shi et al, 2022). Our results verified that a series of ecological restoration projects in northeastern China have gone accomplished in improving soil erosion (Xue et al, 2022). However, the water erosion modulus of grassland ecosystems showed a decreasing trend (Table 4), which was related to the high sand content of grasslands and low vegetation cover.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Human activities are the key driver of water erosion changes in northeastern China

Tang,

Hua,

Cao

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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Northeast China is experiencing severe soil erosion, resulting in land degradation and nutrient loss. Among them, water erosion poses the greatest threat to food security. Combining various multi‐source data, we applied the modified soil erosion equation (RUSLE) to evaluate the water erosion modulus in Northeast China (1985–2021). We used the threshold segmentation and residual analysis method to quantify the relative roles of climate change and human activities on water erosion. The outcomes were as follows: (1) In recent decades, the average annual water erosion modulus in northeastern China was 804.78 t·km−2·a−1, decreasing with a slope of −11.114 t·km−2·a−1. In 24% of the study area, the erosion modulus increased significantly, mainly in grassland and farmland, due to grassland degradation and expansion of sloping cropland. In 20% of the study area, erosion modulus decreased significantly, mainly spread in forests, which was attributed to the implementation of important ecological restoration projects by the Chinese government, such as afforestation programs and returning farmland to forest. (2) During the research process, there were spatial variations in water erosion drivers in Northeast China. For areas with significant increases in erosion, 20% of the total study area were caused by anthropogenic factors, and 3% were attributed to natural factors. For areas where erosion had significantly improved, 18% of the total study area was attributed to ecological restoration, and 2% to natural factors. (3) Based on the results of the study, ecological restoration of forests and grasses, management of sloping cropland, and conservation tillage were recommended to reduce soil erosion in Northeast China.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Human activities are the key driver of water erosion changes in northeastern China

Tang,

Hua,

Cao

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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“…On the time scale, the vegetation NDVI in the study area of Momoge showed a fluctuating upward trend from 1984 to 2020, and the vegetation growth status was generally good; however, the vegetation NDVI continued to decline in the middle of the study, which is consistent with the conclusion obtained by other researchers (Xue et al, 2022). In addition, the trend of high vegetation cover in the study area increased before 2000 and decreased after 2005, whereas the trend of vegetation cover and middle and high vegetation cover changed in the opposite direction.…”

Section: Temporal and Spatial Characteristics Of Vegetation Coversupporting

confidence: 91%

Response of vegetation variation to climate change and human activities in semi-arid swamps

et al. 2022

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Vegetation is a sensitive factor in marsh ecosystems, which can provide nesting sites, foraging areas, and hiding places for waterfowl and can affect their survival environment. The Jilin Momoge National Nature Reserve, which consists of large areas of marshes, is located in the semi-arid region of northeast China and is an important stopover site for the critically endangered species of the Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus). Global climate change, extreme droughts and floods, and large differences in evaporation and precipitation in this region can cause rapid vegetation succession. In recent years, increased grain production and river-lake connectivity projects carried out in this area to increase grain outputs and restore wetlands have caused significant changes in the hydrological and landscape patterns. Therefore, research on the response of variation trends in vegetation patterns to the main driving factors (climate change and human activities) is critical for the conservation of the Siberian Crane. Based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, we obtained and processed the Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data of the study area during the peak summer vegetation period for each year from 1984 to 2020, estimated the annual vegetation cover using Maximum value composites (MVC) method and the image dichotomy method, calculated and analyzed the spatial and temporal trends of vegetation cover, explored the response of vegetation cover change in terms of climate change and human activities, and quantified the relative contribution of both. The results revealed that first, from the spatial and temporal changes, the average annual growth rate of regional vegetation was 0.002/a, and 71.14% of the study area was improved. The vegetation cover showed a trend of degradation and then recovery, in which the percentage of high vegetation cover area decreased from 51.22% (1984–2000) to 28.33% (2001–2005), and then recovered to 55.69% (2006–2020). Second, among climate change factors, precipitation was more correlated with the growth of vegetation in the study area than temperature, and the increase in precipitation during the growing season could promote the growth of marsh vegetation in the Momoge Reserve. Third, overall, human activities have contributed to the improvement of vegetation cover in the study area with the implementation of important ecological projects, such as the return of farmland to wetlands, the return of grazing to grass, and the connection of rivers and lakes. Fourth, climate change and human activities jointly drive vegetation change, but the contribution of human activities in both vegetation improvement and degradation areas (85.68% and 78.29%, respectively) is higher than that of climate change (14.32% and 21.71%, respectively), which is the main reason for vegetation improvement or degradation in the study area. The analysis of vegetation pattern change within an intensive time series in semi-arid regions can provide a reference and basis for studying the driving factors in regions with rapid changes in vegetation and hydrological conditions.

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“…Increasing vegetation cover not only increases soil organic carbon and total nitrogen, but also enhances ecosystem services, lessens soil erosion, and modifies regional climate [49,50]. This is supported by the improvement in climatic conditions from 2002 to 2013 [48] and the decreased trend of drought area at multiple time scales (Figures 3b and 4). However, most of the planted trees that are utilized for revegetation are still young, have underdeveloped root systems, and can only draw water from surface soil.…”

Section: Driving Factors Of Drought Dynamics and Mutation Pointsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…On the other hand, studies have reported trends in greening and productivity growth in NEC [46,47]. The vegetation impacted by human activities had a degradation trend from 1990 to 2001 and an increase after 2001, with 93% of this improved trend being linked to human activity [48]. Increasing vegetation cover not only increases soil organic carbon and total nitrogen, but also enhances ecosystem services, lessens soil erosion, and modifies regional climate [49,50].…”

Section: Driving Factors Of Drought Dynamics and Mutation Pointsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Drought Variability in Northeast China over Multiple Temporal and Spatial Scales

et al. 2022

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Long-term drought variation provides a scientific foundation for water resource planning and drought mitigation. However, the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of drought in northeast China (NEC) are unclear. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of drought status and trends based on the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) in NEC from 1990 until 2018. The findings show that: (1) the drying trend peaked in 2001, and then exhibited a mitigation tendency before drying again after 2013. The implementation of ecological restoration projects is primarily responsible for drought mitigation. (2) The areas with wetting and drying trends in the future would cover 86% and 17% of NEC, respectively. (3) There is a time lag between improved vegetation and the trend shift from dry to wet. (4) Spring and winter revealed wet trends within 71% and 84% of NEC, respectively, showing high sensitivity and resilience to drought, while 92–93% of NEC displayed dry tendencies during the summer and autumn seasons. The drought-affected area was the highest in summer and lowest in autumn. (5) The interannual drought severity was highest in May and June. (6) The highest drought impacts and trends occur within shrub and grass and sparsely vegetated land, as well as middle-temperate semiarid regions (M-semiarid). (7) The warmer the temperature zone, the more sensitive it is towards drought under the same hydrological conditions, showing a high drought-affected area. The drier the land, the higher the drought-affected area within the same temperature zone, with pronounced drought trends during the spring and summer seasons. Our findings highlight the need for the government to more explicitly develop drought mitigation strategies in accordance with NEC’s spatiotemporal drought variations and specifically the need to concentrate on droughts in M-semiarid regions occurring in summer, particularly in May and June.

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Assessment of Climate Change and Human Activities on Vegetation Development in Northeast China

Cited by 14 publications

References 58 publications

Human activities are the key driver of water erosion changes in northeastern China

Human activities are the key driver of water erosion changes in northeastern China

Response of vegetation variation to climate change and human activities in semi-arid swamps

Assessing the Drought Variability in Northeast China over Multiple Temporal and Spatial Scales

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