Vegetation change and its topographic effects in the karst mountainous areas of Guizhou and Guangxi
Received date: 2018-06-14
Request revised date: 2018-09-16
Online published: 2018-12-20
Copyright
Rocky desertification is one of the most severe ecological issues that restrict the sustainable development of karst area in southwestern China. Compared with other ecosystems, mountain ecosystem is more sensitive to climate change due to its complex topography. Understanding the variation of vegetation growth associated to topographic factors is critical to promote ecological management in karst mountainous areas. Based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (MODIS NDVI) data from 2000 to 2016, the spatial-temporal variation of NDVI in the karst mountainous area of Guizhou and Guangxi was analyzed. The topographical factors, including altitude, slope gradient, aspect and relief amplitude were introduced to examine the response of vegetation variation to topographical factors. The results showed that NDVI in the middle of karst mountainous area was higher than that in the northwest and southeast. Averaged NDVI during growing season showed a single-peak curve distribution with altitude, with the largest value (0.67) at an elevation of 400-600 m. However, no significant difference was found along the slope and aspect gradient. A greening trend occurred in the karst mountainous area, with an averaged increasing rate of 0.0018 yr-1, illustrating that the vegetation restoration in recent years tended to be better. More than 75% of the study area showed an increasing trend of NDVI, and about 20% of the study area, distributed in the western and southeastern parts of the region (southwest Guizhou and central Guangxi), performed a significant increase. Pixels with a decreasing trend of NDVI were only observed in the northeast and middle-eastern parts. The percentage of pixels with a significant increasing trend increased with the elevation gradient. The increased rate is higher at high altitude than that at low altitude, indicating that the ecological construction of vegetation at low altitude with gentle slope should be strengthened. These conclusions provide a scientific basis for the comprehensive treatment of rocky desertification and improvement of fragile ecological environment in the karst mountainous area in a certain sense.
Key words: NDVI; vegetation changes; topographic effects; karst mountainous area
LIU Liangmeizi , ZHAN Chesheng , HU Shi , DONG Yuxuan . Vegetation change and its topographic effects in the karst mountainous areas of Guizhou and Guangxi[J]. GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, 2018 , 37(12) : 2433 -2446 . DOI: 10.11821/dlyj201812006
Fig. 1 Elevation and land cover types in the karst mountainous areas图1 研究区高程及土地覆盖类型 |
Fig. 2 Spatial distribution of annual NDVI in karst mountainous areas from 2000 to 2016图2 2000-2016年喀斯特山区NDVI的空间分布 |
Fig. 3 The distribution of NDVI at different altitudes图3 NDVI在不同海拔上的分布状况 |
Fig.4 The distribution of NDVI at different relief amplitudes图4 NDVI在不同地形起伏度上的分布状况 |
Fig. 5 NDVI of different vegetation types on different slopes and aspects图5 不同植被类型在不同坡度、坡向上的NDVI |
Fig. 6 Annual NDVI changing trend from 2000 to 2016图6 2000-2016年年均NDVI变化趋势 |
Fig. 7 Interannual changing rate of NDVI in each season from 2000 to 2016图7 2000-2016年各季节NDVI年际变化率 |
Fig. 8 Spatial pattern of annual NDVI variation in karst mountainous area from 2000 to 2016图8 2000-2016年喀斯特山区NDVI变化趋势的空间格局 |
Fig. 9 The percentage of pixels with significant tendency along elevations (P<0.05)图9 NDVI显著性变化格点占比随海拔高度的变化趋势(P<0.05) |
Fig. 10 The percentage of pixels with significant tendency along relief amplitudes (P<0.05)图10 NDVI显著性变化格点占比随地形起伏度的变化趋势(P<0.05) |
Fig.11 The percentage of pixels with significant tendency along slopes (P<0.05)图11 NDVI显著性变化格点占比随坡度的变化趋势(P<0.05) |
Fig. 12 The percentage of pixels with significant tendency along aspects (P<0.05)图12 NDVI显著性变化格点占比随坡向的变化趋势(P<0.05) |
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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