Spatiotemporal dynamics of net primary productivity and its influencing factors in the middle reaches of the Yellow River from 2000 to 2020

Wenxi Xuan; Liangyi Rao

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1043807

Spatiotemporal dynamics of net primary productivity and its influencing factors in the middle reaches of the Yellow River from 2000 to 2020

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Jan 27:14:1043807. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1043807. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wenxi Xuan^{1

2}, Liangyi Rao^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
² Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Net primary productivity (NPP) is an important indicator used to characterize the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. The spatial distribution and dynamic change in NPP are closely related to regional climate, vegetation growth and human activities. Studying the spatiotemporal dynamics of NPP and its influencing factors plays a vital role in understanding ecosystem carbon sink capacity.

Methods: Based on MODIS-NPP data, meteorological data, and land use data from 2000 to 2020, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and influencing factors of NPP in the middle reaches of the Yellow River (MRYR) by using unary linear regression analysis, third-order partial correlation analysis, and Sen+Mann-Kendall trend analysis.

Results: The results showed that the annual average NPP of the MRYR was 319.24 gCm^-2a^-1 with a spatially decreasing trend from the southern part to the northern part. From 2000 to 2020, the annual average NPP experienced a fluctuating upward trend at a rate of 2.83 gCm^-2a^-1, and the area with a significant upward trend accounted for 87.68%. The NPP of different land use types differed greatly, in which forest had the greatest increase in NPP. Temperature had a negative correlation with NPP in most parts of the MRYR. Water vapor pressure promoted the accumulation of NPP in the northwestern MRYR. The areas with a positive correlation between NPP and water vapor pressure accounted for 87.6%, and 20.43% of the MRYR area passed the significance test of P< 0.05.

Conclusion: The results of the study highlight the impact of climate factors and land-use changes on NPP and provide theoretical guidance for high-quality sustainable development in the MRYR.

Keywords: MODIS; climate change; net primary productivity; spatio-temporal variation; the middle reaches of the Yellow River.

Grants and funding

This research was financially supported by the Beijing Nova Program (2006A22) ,the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC0504503) and the Ministry of Water Resources Public Welfare Industry Research Project (201501045).