Impacts of Climate on Spatiotemporal Variations in Vegetation NDVI from 1982–2015 in Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract

By using the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) third-generation normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI3g) data, this paper explores the spatiotemporal variations in vegetation and their relationship with temperature and precipitation between 1982 and 2015 in the Inner Mongolia region of China. Based on yearly scale data, the vegetation changes in Inner Mongolia have experienced three stages from 1982 to 2015: the vegetation activity kept a continuous improvement from 1982–1999, then downward between 1999–2009, and upward from 2009 to 2015. On the whole, the general trend is increasing. Several areas even witnessed significant vegetation increases: in the east and south of Tongliao and Chifeng, north of Xing’anmeng, north and west of Hulunbir, and in the west of Inner Mongolia. Based on monthly scale data, one-year and half-year cycles exist in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and temperature but only a one-year cycle in precipitation. Finally, based on the one-year cycle, the relationship between NDVI and climatic were studied; NDVI has a significant positive correlation with temperature and precipitation, and temperature has a greater effect in promoting vegetation growth than precipitation. Moreover, based on a half-year changing period, NDVI is only affected by temperature in the study region. Those findings can serve as a critical reference for grassland managers or policy makers to make informed decisions on grassland management.

Evaluation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Impacts on Dust Erodibility: A Case Study in Xilingol Grassland, China

“…Erodibility, as represented by threshold wind speed and DOR in spring, is related to the amount of precipitation or vegetation in the previous year, or both, according to observations in Mongolian grassland [33] and statistical analyses using synoptic data [7,13,14]. However, Liu et al [34] demonstrated that temperature has a greater impact on promoting vegetation growth than precipitation based on the one-year cycle; furthermore, temperature is the only determinative factor for a half-year changing in vegetation growth in Inner Mongolia. In accordance with their findings, our results suggested that temperature in autumn revealed a significant impact on erodibility.…”

Spatial–Temporal Vegetation Dynamics and Their Relationships with Climatic, Anthropogenic, and Hydrological Factors in the Amur River Basin

“…where 2 S represents the variance of the observed values. In this study, the LISA map shows the spatial distribution (clustered/random/dispersed) of each vegetation index based on 9999 permutations at the significance level of p < 0.05.…”

“…As a major component of terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation plays an important role in material cycling and energy flows, and provides irreplaceable service functions that maintain the wellbeing of our planet and all the creatures that inhabit it. These function services include food provision, climate regulation, carbon sequestration, timber production, biodiversity preservation, and soil protection [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Vegetation growth affects the ecological balance, the terrestrial carbon cycle, water circulation, and other biochemical processes [2,9].…”

“…These function services include food provision, climate regulation, carbon sequestration, timber production, biodiversity preservation, and soil protection [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Vegetation growth affects the ecological balance, the terrestrial carbon cycle, water circulation, and other biochemical processes [2,9]. Thus, information about the spatial-temporal dynamics of regional and global vegetation is a fundamental need in order to facilitate the better management of our planet ecosystem, provide effective support for environmental sustainability and ensure the safety of agricultural production; these have become emerging issues in the field of environmental studies [2,5,10].…”

The Relationship between NDVI and Climate Factors at Different Monthly Time Scales: A Case Study of Grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China (1982–2015)

“…From East to West, the climate shows a zonal distribution. Accordingly, the grassland types of Inner Mongolia are divided into a meadow steppe to the west of the Daxinganling Mountains in eastern Inner Mongolia, a typical steppe in central Inner Mongolia, and a desert steppe in central and western Inner Mongolia [44,48] ( Figure 1). The climate of Inner Mongolia is dominated by continental monsoon climate.…”