The Impacts of Drought Changes on Alpine Vegetation during the Growing Season over the Tibetan Plateau in 1982–2018

Abstract

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a climate-sensitive and ecologically fragile area. Studying drought and its effects on vegetation over the TP is of great significance for ecological conservation. However, there were large uncertainties in previous studies on the drought characteristics and their impacts on alpine vegetation in this region. This study explored the drought changes and their impacts on alpine vegetation during the growing season over the TP in 1982–2018. The results showed that the TP has experienced a wetting trend in most regions of the TP. Correspondingly, the vegetation has become greener in most areas. The wetting and drying trend in the growing season changed around 1995. Before 1995, the TP experienced an overall drying trend with a spatial pattern of a drying trend in the northern regions and a wetting trend in the southern regions, while it showed an overall wetting trend after 1995, with a reversed spatial pattern to that before 1995. After 1995, wetting and drying trends affected the vegetation in 61% of the TP. However, before 1995, the NDVI presented an increasing trend in most areas of the TP under a drying trend. Therefore, a drying trend was not the primary factor affecting vegetation growth in this period. Instead, changes in the cryosphere induced by warming could be the main factor. In addition, the distribution of vegetation across the TP was primarily influenced by drought intensity, which had the greatest impact on sparse vegetation, followed by meadow and grassland. This study enhances our understanding of the impact of drought changes on alpine vegetation on the TP.