Investigations into the impacts of climate change on water conservation capacity in the upper Mekong River Basin (UMRB) are important for the region’s sustainability. However, quantitative studies on isolating the individual contribution of climate change to water conservation capacity are lacking. In this study, various data-driven SWAT models were developed to quantitatively analyze the unique impact of climate change on water conservation capacity in the UMRB. The results reveal the following: (1) From 1981 to 2020, the annual water conservation capacity ranged from 191.6 to 392.9 mm, showing significant seasonal differences with the values in the rainy season (218.6–420.3 mm) significantly higher than that in the dry season (−57.0–53.2 mm). (2) The contribution of climate change to water conservation capacity is generally negative, with the highest contribution (−65.2%) in the dry season, followed by the annual (−8.7%) and the rainy season (−8.1%). (3) Precipitation, followed by evaporation and surface runoff, emerged as the critical factor affecting water conservation capacity changes in the UMRB. This study can provide insights for water resources management and climate change adaptations in the UMRB and other similar regions in the world.

Vegetation water content, characterized by vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and vegetation optical depth (VOD), can represent vegetation health in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, using remote sensing Ku-band VOD and VPD, the spatiotemporal distribution assessment, Mann-Kendall trend analysis, seasonal trend decomposition, and correlation analysis and significance testing were conducted to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution patterns, seasonal variations and correlations of VPD and VOD across China from 2000 to 2016. And the correlation between climate factors (temperature and precipitation) with VOD and VPD was discussed. The results show the following: (1) The annual mean VPD in China predominantly ranged from 0 to 4 KPa, while the annual mean VOD were centered around 0 to 2 during 2000–2016. Spatially, the VOD peaked at 1–2 in southwest China. VPD have significant seasonal variations across China, with high VPD in the summer. (2) The VPD and VOD in most regions of China fluctuated and showed an upward trend from 2000 to 2016, with significantly increased VPD in northwest and southwest China. (3) On a monthly scale, regions where VOD positively correlated with VPD accounted for 89.69% of the total area of China. The proportion of areas with a significant positive correlation was 82.96%. The proportion of areas with a negative correlation was 10.31%, and the proportion of areas with a significant negative correlation was 5.41%. Annual VOD and VPD exhibited a positive correlation of 61.28% of China’s total territory. Among these, the area exhibiting a significant positive correlation made up 6.15%. The area demonstrating a negative correlation amounted to 38.72%, and the area with a significant negative correlation constituted 2.22%. This study can contribute to understanding vegetation water content dynamics across China, which is crucial for ecosystem sustainability in China.