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Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (3): 434-443.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.241

• Plant Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Vegetation coverage characteristics of different topography and landforms in ten tributaries of the Ordos Plateau

MA Qimin1,2(), DU Hanrui1, WANG Zhengming1, LONG Yinping1()   

  1. 1. College of Resources and Environment, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, Sichuan, China
    2. National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
  • Received:2024-04-16 Revised:2024-05-31 Online:2025-03-25 Published:2025-03-14
  • Contact: LONG Yinping E-mail:mqm@cuit.edu.cn;longyp@cuit.edu.cn

Abstract:

Artificial grass and tree planting have effectively mitigated soil erosion in the ten tributaries of the Ordos Plateau, Inner Mongolia, China. However, some regions have experienced vegetation degradation. Understanding the influence of topography on vegetation is critical for soil and water conservation efforts in this area. This study analyzed vegetation changes across different topographies and landforms in the ten tributaries from 2000 to 2022, utilizing digital elevation model (DEM) data from the ZY3-01 satellite and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data from MODIS. The findings are as follows: (1) The overall vegetation in the ten tributaries improved, with the NDVI of different landform types showing an upward trend. The multi-year average NDVI values for plain, hilly, and desert areas were 0.591, 0.337, and 0.325, respectively. The most pronounced improvement occurred in the desert area. Vegetation degradation accounted for 16.28% of the plain area (mainly along the Yellow River), 0.64% of the desert area (predominantly in the middle reaches of the Haoqing River), and 1.88% of the hilly area (primarily in the upper reaches of Xiliugou, Hantaichuan, and Hashilachuan). (2) In the plain area, NDVI on flat gentle slopes and gentle slopes exceeded that on horizontal and flat land. In the desert area, NDVI followed the trend: horizontal land>flat land>flat gentle slope>gentle slope>steep slope. Similarly, in the hilly area, NDVI trends mirrored those of the desert area; however, from 2000 to 2022, NDVI on steep slopes surpassed that on flat gentle slopes and gentle slopes but remained lower than that on horizontal and flat land. (3) From 2000 to 2022, in the plain area, NDVI followed the trend: sunny slope>half-sunny slope>shady slope. Conversely, in the desert area, NDVI followed the trend: shady slope>sunny slope>half-sunny slope. In the hilly area, the trend was shady slope>half-sunny slope>sunny slope. These findings suggest that desert and hilly areas would benefit from planting vegetation on horizontal or flat land and on shady slopes with lower gradients for sloping areas.

Key words: ZY3-01 satellite, sand forest plantation, temporal and spatial changes of vegetation, slope, slope aspects, ten tributaries, Ordos Plateau