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Arid Land Geography ›› 2023, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5): 742-752.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2022.375

• Biology and Pedology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to climate change and urbanization in China

CHEN Shujun1(),XU Guochang1,LYU Zhiping1,2,MA Mingyue1,LI Hanyu1,ZHU Yuyan1   

  1. 1. Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China
    2. Information Engineering University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
  • Received:2022-07-25 Revised:2022-09-20 Online:2023-05-25 Published:2023-06-05

Abstract:

The variation in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) is not only closely related to climatic factors but is influenced by human activities. Only a few studies have been conducted on the spatiotemporal characteristics of FVC in China at the provincial scale and quantitative analysis of the impact of climate factors combined with human activities on FVC. Based on the Google Earth Engine platform and Landsat data for 2000—2020, as well as contemporaneous climate and nighttime lighting data, the study is analyzed using the dimidiate pixel method, linear regression analysis, coefficient of variation, partial correlation analysis, and contribution model. The results showed the following: (1) The rate of increasing of FVC in China is 0.32%·a-1 from 2000 to 2020. The vegetation cover area is dominated by the high cover level, accounting for 38% of the study area, with an overall decreasing trend from southeast to northwest. (2) FVC of the Loess Plateau, Yunnan Province, Tibet Autonomous Region, and western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region showed an increasing trend. Interannual fluctuations in the FVC are more stable in the south than in the north and in the east than in the west. Heilongjiang Province has the highest vegetation cover at 91.7%, while Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has the lowest at 14.4. The rate of variation of FVC in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is 0.98%·a-1, with significant improvement in FVC. (3) A significant spatial variability was observed in the effects of climatic factors and urbanization on FVC. Temperature and precipitation have negative and positive correlations on FVC in northern China, respectively, and urbanization mainly affects the more economically developed provinces. Temperature is the main contribution factor in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, with an average contribution of 84.3%. Precipitation is the main contribution factor in Taiwan Province, with an average contribution of 71.7%. Moreover, urbanization is the main contribution factor in Shanghai, with an average contribution of 26.5%.

Key words: fractional vegetation cover (FVC), Google Earth Engine, climate change, urbanization, Landsat