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

Abstract

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.

Maxent modeling for predicting the spatial distribution of three raptors in the Sanjiangyuan National Park, China

“…Since the Sanjiangyuan National Park is located in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, sensitive and changeable climate and high altitude are two significant environmental variables in this region (Guo et al, 2016). The habitat suitability of animal is often related to food resources and opportunities to avoid natural enemies (Zhang & Zheng, 1999).…”

Improved method of freeze–thaw erosion for the Three-River Source Region in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China

“…For the evaluation models, domestic and abroad scholars have proposed dozens Guo et al 2016). However, comprehensive evaluation index model (CEIM) utilizing the weighted linear combination method is the most widely used model in the evaluation of ecosystem or ecoenvironmental quality.…”

“…From the southeast to the northwest, the climate types shift from humid climate to semi-arid climate, with the precipitation decreasing from 772.8 to 262.2 mm. Meanwhile, the temperature widely ranges from ¡17.3 C (in January) to 13.4 C (in July) (Guo et al 2016). The average water flow is 1022.3 m 3 s ¡1 out of the region.…”

“…During the past decades, the TRSR has suffered from climate warming, which has been aggravated in the twenty-first century (Guo et al 2016). As the permafrost region in the mid-latitude, the TRSR is more sensitive to climatic warming than the arctic region (Yang et al 2004;Shi et al 2012).…”

“…The mean erosion intensity of cultivated land was 0.43, which belonged to the level of intensive erosion. This phenomena occurred because there was no or lower VC in the cultivated land during the FT erosion period (late winter and early spring) (Guo et al 2016). Moreover, the unreasonable human activities, such as steep slope reclamation, greatly destroyed the physical structure of soil (Shi et al 2012).…”