Spatial–Temporal Characteristics of Precipitation and Its Relationship with Land Use/Cover Change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Abstract

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is an area sensitive to global climate change, and land use/land cover change (LUCC) plays a vital role in regulating climate system at different temporal and spatial scales. In this study, we analyzed the temporal and spatial trend of precipitation and the characteristics of LUCC on the QTP. Meanwhile, we also used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as an indicator of LUCC to discuss the relationship between LUCC and precipitation. The results show the following: (1) Annual precipitation showed a fluctuant upward trend at a rate of 11.5 mm/decade in this area from 1967 to 2016; three periods (i.e., 22 years, 12 years, and 2 years) of oscillations in annual precipitation were observed, in which expectant 22 years is the main oscillation period. It was predicted that QTP will still be in the stage of increasing precipitation. (2) The LUCC of the plateau changed apparently from 1980 to 2018. The area of grassland decreased by 9.47%, and the area of unused land increased by 7.25%. From the perspective of spatial distribution, the transfer of grassland to unused land occurred in the western part of the QTP, while the reverse transfer was mainly distributed in the northwestern part of the QTP. (3) NDVI in the northern and southwestern parts of the QTP is positively correlated with precipitation, while negative correlations are mainly distributed in the southeast of the QTP, including parts of Sichuan and Yunnan Province. Our results show that precipitation in the QTP has shown a fluctuating growth trend in recent years, and precipitation and NDVI are mainly positively correlated. Furthermore, we hope that this work can provide a theoretical basis for predicting regional hydrology, climate change, and LUCC research.

Satellite Observed Land Surface Greening in Summer Controlled by the Precipitation Frequency Rather Than Its Total Over Tibetan Plateau

“…Our study also supports this view that TP has become wetter during 1982-2015, since the increase of P total and P freq has been observed in most area of TP (Figures 1e 1h 1k and 1n). We further found an increasing trend (28.7 mm/decade) of spring and summer P total for CMFD during 1982-2015 (Figure 1h), which was higher than previous finding of 10.4 mm/decade during 1967-2016 (Zhang & Zhou, 2021), suggesting more heavy precipitation alterations in recent years. Moreover, we found that P total exhibited more proportion of significantly increased pixels than P freq (18.9% vs. 9.9% for CMFD, 62.5% vs. 56.8% for CRU) (Figures 1f 1i 1l and 1o), possibly suggesting that larger precipitation events have been occurring in TP (Guo et al, 2020b;Q.…”

NDVI-Based Greening of Alpine Steppe and Its Relationships with Climatic Change and Grazing Intensity in the Southwestern Tibetan Plateau

“…To further quantitatively analyze the relationship between NDVI and climate factors, the correlation analysis method is adopted to calculate the correlation coefficient of NDVI, annual average temperature, and precipitation data pixel by pixel [57,58]. The calculation formula is:…”

Horizon Scan of Transboundary Concerns Impacting Snow Leopard Landscapes in Asia

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