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›› 2015, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (4): 779-787.

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Spatial-temporal dynamics of different types of vegetation NDVI and its response to climate change in Xinjiang during 1998-2012

ZHOU Meng-tian1, LI Jun2, ZHU Kang-wen1   

  1. 1. College of Geography and Tourism, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 400047, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of GIS Application of Chongqing City, Chongqing 400047, China
  • Received:2014-12-26 Revised:2015-02-14 Online:2015-07-25

Abstract: In previous studies on dynamic change of vegetation cover and relations between vegetation index and climate factors, vegetation cover type rarely was considered. In this paper, Xinjiang vegetation regionalization map was used for temporal and spatial variation of vegetation cover and its relationship with climate change. According to different regional vegetation types, Xinjiang is divided into five zones based on Chinese vegetation regionalization map. Moreover, by using mean algorithm, difference method, regression, and correlation method, regional vegetation cover change in Xinjiang from 1982 to 2012 was analyzed. Spatial distribution of air temperature and precipitation was simulated through the regression analysis method combined with spatial interpolation that latitude, longitude, and elevation are considered. According to five vegetation zones, using SPOT VGT/NDVI data and climate data, the paper analyzed dynamic, interannual, and monthly vegetation cover change in growing season and its response to climate change. The results show as follows:(1)There are significant differences in vegetation coverage in different vegetation zones of Xinjiang. The distribution of a wide range of vegetation coverage is in northern temperate grassland zone. The vegetation coverage is also higher. However, the area in very low vegetation zone account for more than half in alpine desert zone, and the vegetation coverage is lowest.(2) Vegetation cover in each zone in Xinjiang has a fluctuating increase in recent 15 years. This trend is obvious in Alpine desert, warm temperate semi shrub and fruticous desert. The other three zones have slight improvement in vegetation coverage.(3)The air temperature between April and October appears rising trend in temperate subshrub dwarf tree desert zone, warm temperate semi shrub and fruticous desert, temperate subshrub desert shrubs. But it appears to decline in northern temperate grassland zone and alpine desert. Precipitation in five vegetation zones decrease during the period of study.(4) Correlation between NDVI and climate factors(temperature, precipitation)is not significant on the interannual timescale. But for monthly scale, precipitation played a bigger role on vegetation cover than that of temperature in each vegetation zone. Meanwhile, air temperature has one-month lagged impact on vegetation cover in warm temperate semi shrub and fruticous desert. However, there does not exist time lag between NDVI and climate factors in the other four vegetation zones.

Key words: vegetation zone, NDVI, climatic factors, time lag effect

CLC Number: 

  • TP79