Trends of greening and browning in terrestrial vegetation in China from 2000 to 2020

作者：Kunpeng Yi, Xueming Zhao, Zhaoju Zheng, Dan Zhao, Yuan Zeng · 发表于：Ecological Indicators · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110587 · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Remote Sensing in Agriculture、Land Use and Ecosystem Services、Species Distribution and Climate Change

Terrestrial vegetation condition is altering generally as a result of climate change and anthropogenic activity during the past few decades. To reveal the impact of long-term climate factors and artificial protection on multiple vegetation types, it is crucial to understand the spatial distribution of vegetation greening and browning and the effect of national ecological restoration programs. In this study, we established a persistent vegetation change index (P-value) to characterize greening (restoration) and browning (degradation) in China in 2000–2020. Firstly, we generated annual time-series normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data from MODIS product by averaging the monthly maximum NDVI values for each year. Secondly, we calculated the P-value to investigate the continuous change in vegetation state by incremental time interval. Finally, patterns and trends of greening and browning in forests, shrublands, and grasslands were quantified and mapped at pixel and sample point levels. The findings of our study revealed that Chinese wild vegetated lands greened up by ∼3.4 × 104 km2 (25%) and turned brown in ∼1.6 × 104 km2 (11%) between 2000 and 2020. Net greening was detected in all biomes, most conspicuously in several ecological program regions in northern China. The NDVI time-series data in 31% of field plots showed a consistent result, 11% of field plots showed a browning trend, and 58% of field plots showed a stable state. These results indicated a synergistic e...