Asymmetric warming has different impacts on vegetation growth across various vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau

Figures & data

Figure 1. The vegetation types on the Tibetan Plateau. The blank region, identified by multiyear mean annual NDVI values below 0.10, was emblematic of sparse vegetation. The vegetation types was derived from vegetation map of the People’s Republic of China (1:1000000) (X. Zhang 2007).

Figure 2. Framework of the study.

Figure 3. (a) Spatial distribution of trends in growing season NDVI (NDVI_GS) and (b) temporal variation in NDVI_GS on the Tibetan Plateau during 2000–2021.

Figure 4. Spatial distribution of trends in growing season (a) mean maximum temperature (T_maxGS), (b) minimum temperature (T_minGS), (c) cumulative precipitation (Pre_GS), and (d) cumulative solar radiation downward (Ssrd_GS) during 2000–2021. The inset was trend of T_maxGS, T_minGS, Pre_GS and Ssrd_GS at p < 0.05 level.

Figure 5. Spatial distribution of (a) and (b) partial correlation coefficient between growing season NDVI and maximum temperature (T_max) and minimum temperature (T_min), (c) and (d) sensitivity of growing season NDVI to T_max and T_min. variation in the proportion of pixels on partial correlation between growing season NDVI and (e) T_max and (f) T_min in different vegetation types (>5% of pixels). (g) variation (median: line; mean: solid circle) in changes in the partial correlation coefficient and (h) sensitivity between growing season NDVI and T_max (the blue box) and T_min (the orange box) in different vegetation types (>5% of pixels).

Figure 6. (a) Temporal variations in partial correlation coefficient between growing season NDVI and maximum temperature and (b) minimum temperature from 7-year–12-year moving window.

Figure 7. Spatial distribution of (a) multiyear mean of days of growing season mean minimum temperature (T_min) < 0°C and (b) trends of days of T_min < 0°C on the Tibetan Plateau during 2000–2021, (c) multiyear mean of days of T_min < 0°C and (d) trends of days of T_min < 0°C among different vegetation types (>5% of pixels).

Figure 8. Variations of partial correlation coefficient (R_P) between growing season NDVI and minimum temperature (T_min) with minimum temperature in (a) grasslands (including steppes and meadows) and (b) forests (including needleleaf forests, broadleaf forests).

Figure 9. Variations of partial correlation coefficient between growing season NDVI and maximum temperature (T_max) with (a) aridity, (b) multiyear mean of growing season precipitation during 2000–2021 and (c) multiyear mean of growing season soil moisture during 2001–2020 (due to data gaps in 2000 and 2021) on the Tibetan Plateau grasslands (including steppes and meadows).

Zhang, X. 2007. Vegetation Map of the People’s Republic of China, (1:1 000 000). Vol. 1. Beijing: Geology Press.

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Data availability statement

All the data used for this study are publicly available online. MOD13A1 NDVI and EVI, https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/mod13a1v061/; ERA5-Land dataset, https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/; Elevation data, https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/srtmgl1v003/; vegetation types data, https://www.plantplus.cn/dsite/zhibei/b12.html.