This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
The dynamics of aboveground biomass (AGB) are driven by both climate variation and anthropogenic modification, however, few studies have evaluated the relative importance of these two drivers, especially in a heterogeneous landscape. Taking the Mongolian Plateau as a case study and employing the vegetation optical depth retrieval as a proxy of AGB, this study aimed to determine the relative importance of climatic and anthropogenic drivers on the dynamics of AGB in Mongolia (ML) and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IM), China. Spatial panel data model specific to each agro-ecological zone was employed to fulfill the task. The results revealed that: (1) Since the socio-institutional transition in the early 1990s, AGB declined in most parts of the grazing zone of Mongolia. The reduction of precipitation, the rise of temperature and the intensification of livestock grazing were the major drivers behind it. Ranked by their relative importance, the order in the grazing zone with relatively humid climate was: Precipitation ≈ temperature > livestock grazing; the order in the grazing zone with relatively arid climate was: Precipitation > temperature > livestock grazing; (2) Since the implementation of a series of ecological restoration programs in the early 2000s, AGB increased in most parts of the grazing zone of IM, and the increase of precipitation was the dominant driver behind it; (3) Since the early 2000s, AGB increased in most parts of the grazing-farming zone of IM. The increase of precipitation, the decline of temperature and the intensification of grain production were the major drivers behind it. Ranked by their relative importance, the order was: Precipitation > grain production > temperature; (4) Since the early 2000s, AGB increased in most parts of the farming zone of IM. The increase of precipitation and the intensification of grain production were the major drivers behind it. Ranked by their relative importance, the order was: Grain production > precipitation.
Xiang Zhou; Yasushi Yamaguchi. Relative Importance of Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers on the Dynamics of Aboveground Biomass across Agro-Ecological Zones on the Mongolian Plateau. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3435 .
AMA StyleXiang Zhou, Yasushi Yamaguchi. Relative Importance of Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers on the Dynamics of Aboveground Biomass across Agro-Ecological Zones on the Mongolian Plateau. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (10):3435.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXiang Zhou; Yasushi Yamaguchi. 2018. "Relative Importance of Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers on the Dynamics of Aboveground Biomass across Agro-Ecological Zones on the Mongolian Plateau." Sustainability 10, no. 10: 3435.
Ongoing global warming has triggered extreme climate events of increasing magnitude and frequency. Under this effect, a series of extreme climate events such as drought and increased rainfall during the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are expected to be amplified in the coming years. Adequate mapping of regions with climate-sensitive vegetation and its associated time lag is required for appropriate mitigation planning to avoid potential negative ecological impacts towards vegetation. In this study, ENSO and climate indicator time series data, for example, Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) and Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) data for rainfall were linked with long-term time series vegetation proxies from remote sensing (RS proxies). ENSO- and rainfall-sensitive areas were identified from each RS proxy using the bivariate Granger test, and the areas identified by multiple RS proxies were taken to identify climate-sensitive regions in Indonesia. Of the biome types in Indonesia, savanna was the most sensitive, with approximately 53% of the total savanna area in Indonesia shown to be sensitive to ENSO and rainfall by two or more RS proxies. Rolling correlation analysis also found that the ENSO effect on the vegetation region after rainfall was positively correlated with the RS proxies with a time lag of +5 months. Therefore, rainfall can be taken as a proxy of the effects of ENSO on the temporal dynamics of sensitive vegetation regions in Indonesia.
Sanjiwana Arjasakusuma; Yasushi Yamaguchi; Yasuhiro Hirano; Xiang Zhou. ENSO- and Rainfall-Sensitive Vegetation Regions in Indonesia as Identified from Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Data. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 2018, 7, 103 .
AMA StyleSanjiwana Arjasakusuma, Yasushi Yamaguchi, Yasuhiro Hirano, Xiang Zhou. ENSO- and Rainfall-Sensitive Vegetation Regions in Indonesia as Identified from Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Data. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2018; 7 (3):103.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSanjiwana Arjasakusuma; Yasushi Yamaguchi; Yasuhiro Hirano; Xiang Zhou. 2018. "ENSO- and Rainfall-Sensitive Vegetation Regions in Indonesia as Identified from Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Data." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 7, no. 3: 103.
Distinguishing the vegetation dynamics induced by anthropogenic factors and identifying the major drivers can provide crucial information for designing actionable and practical countermeasures to restore degraded grassland ecosystems. Based on the residual trend (RESTREND) method, this study distinguished the vegetation dynamics induced by anthropogenic factors from the effects of climate variability on the Mongolian Plateau during 1993–2012 using vegetation optical depth (VOD) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which measure vegetation water content in aboveground biomass and chlorophyll abundance in canopy cover respectively; afterwards, the major drivers within different agricultural zones and socio-institutional periods were identified by integrating agricultural statistics with statistical analysis techniques. The results showed that grasslands in Mongolia and the grazing zone of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR), China underwent a significant human-induced decrease in aboveground biomass during 1993–2012 and 1993–2000 respectively, which was attributable to the rapid growth of livestock densities stimulated by livestock privatization and market factors; by contrast, grasslands in these two regions did not experience a concurrent human-induced reduction in canopy greenness. Besides, the results indicated that grasslands in the grazing zone of IMAR underwent a significant human-induced increase in aboveground biomass since 2000, which was attributable to the reduced grazing pressure induced by China's ecological restoration programs; concurrently, grasslands in this region also experienced a remarkable increase in canopy greenness, however, this increase was found not directly caused by the decreased stocking densities. Furthermore, the results revealed that the farming and semi-grazing/farming zone of IMAR underwent a significant human-induced increase in both aboveground biomass and canopy greenness since 2000, which was attributable to the intensified grain production stimulated by market factors, open grazing regulation and confined feeding popularization. These findings suggest that China's grassland restoration practice has important implications for Mongolia to reverse the severe and continuous grassland degradation in the future.
Xiang Zhou; Yasushi Yamaguchi; Sanjiwana Arjasakusuma. Distinguishing the vegetation dynamics induced by anthropogenic factors using vegetation optical depth and AVHRR NDVI: A cross-border study on the Mongolian Plateau. Science of The Total Environment 2017, 616-617, 730 -743.
AMA StyleXiang Zhou, Yasushi Yamaguchi, Sanjiwana Arjasakusuma. Distinguishing the vegetation dynamics induced by anthropogenic factors using vegetation optical depth and AVHRR NDVI: A cross-border study on the Mongolian Plateau. Science of The Total Environment. 2017; 616-617 ():730-743.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXiang Zhou; Yasushi Yamaguchi; Sanjiwana Arjasakusuma. 2017. "Distinguishing the vegetation dynamics induced by anthropogenic factors using vegetation optical depth and AVHRR NDVI: A cross-border study on the Mongolian Plateau." Science of The Total Environment 616-617, no. : 730-743.