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Water‐dominated vegetation activity across biomes in mid‐latitudinal eastern China
Author(s) -
Wu Xiuchen,
Liu Hongyan,
Ren Ji,
He Siyuan,
Zhang Yuke
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2008gl036940
Subject(s) - normalized difference vegetation index , evergreen , environmental science , vegetation (pathology) , deciduous , precipitation , enhanced vegetation index , subtropics , climatology , steppe , biome , physical geography , temperate climate , atmospheric sciences , climate change , geography , ecology , ecosystem , vegetation index , geology , medicine , archaeology , pathology , meteorology , biology
Sensitivity of vegetation activity to water and temperature in eastern China was investigated using growing‐season Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and climate factors (MAP, mean annual precipitation; RH, relative humidity; PDSI, Palmer Drought Severity Index; and MAT, mean annual temperature). At a regional level, the cut‐off of mean NDVI value receiving a MAP interval of 543 ± 69 mm is identified, indicating the saturating effect of natural vegetation cover or greenness in the open‐canopy summer‐green deciduous forest of eastern China along the north–south rainfall gradient. The rainfall‐use efficiency (RUE) of vegetation as well as correlation coefficients of NDVI against MAP, RH and PDSI decreases with increased precipitation in a consistent logarithmic pattern. In most cases, temperature does not have a significant effect on the vegetation activity. The results of this study highlight a clear pattern of water‐dominated vegetation activity; however, a potential temperature‐induced drought stress in temperate steppe and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest of eastern China is also indicated.