Analysis of spatial and temporal variations of vegetation NPP and TWS in the Yangtze River Basin

Abstract

Net primary productivity (NPP) is an important parameter reflecting vegetation growth, and water is one of the necessary factors for vegetation growth. Investigating the mutual influence between NPP and water is significant for ensuring the stable development of the ecological environment. This study focuses on the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) as the research area, and based on medium-resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) data, climate data, and gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) data, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of vegetation NPP and terrestrial water storage (TWS) in the YRB from 2000 to 2022 are explored and analyzes the mutual influence of NPP with climate factors and TWS. The results show that vegetation NPP (4.10 gC·m −2 ·a −1 ) and TWS (0.55 mm) in the YRB have exhibited an increasing trend from 2000 to 2022, with a strong correlation between the two, which is related to recent environmental policies. Analysis of the impact of climate factors on NPP reveals that temperature and TWS significantly positively impact NPP changes. Furthermore, comparisons between NPP and TWS indicate that changes in TWS substantially promote plant growth. In addition, the comparison between NPP and TWS indicates that changes in TWS have an important promoting effect on plant growth. Surface water (SWS) and soil water (SM) have a significant promoting effect on plant growth, but with a strong lag, while the consumption of groundwater (GWS) has been promoting plant growth without significant lag. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-75447-5.