Spatiotemporal Variations of Global Terrestrial Typical Vegetation EVI and Their Responses to Climate Change from 2000 to 2021

• Published in: Remote Sensing
• Main Authors: Chenhao Li, Yifan Song, Tianling Qin, Denghua Yan, Xin Zhang, Lin Zhu, Batsuren Dorjsuren, Hira Khalid
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: EVI; spatiotemporal characteristics; climate response; grey relation analysis; global terrestrial typical vegetation; extreme climate indicators; Tundra
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15174245

With the increasing impact of climate change on ecosystems, it is crucial to analyze how changes in precipitation and temperature affect global ecosystems. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) in the global forest, grassland, shrubland, and tundra (FGST) from 2000 to 2021. We utilized partial correlation analysis and grey relation analysis to assess the responses of different vegetation types to precipitation, temperature, and extreme water and heat indicators. The result shows that, despite a “warmer and drier” trend in FGST (excluding tundra), global climate change has not adversely affected the ongoing vegetation growth. It presents a favorable implication for global carbon dioxide assimilation. Different vegetation types displayed different sensitivities to changes in precipitation and temperature. Shrubland proved to be the most sensitive, followed by grassland, forest, and tundra. As the impacts of global climate change intensify, it becomes crucial to direct our attention toward dynamics of vegetation types demonstrating heightened sensitivity to fluctuations in precipitation and temperature. Our study indicates that, except for forests, extreme precipitation indicators have a stronger impact on EVI than extreme temperature indicators. Forests and tundra have demonstrated heightened susceptibility to the intensity of extreme climatic events, while grasslands and shrublands have been more sensitive to the duration of such events. Understanding these responses can offer valuable insights for developing targeted strategies for adaptation and preservation. Our study enhances comprehension of the feedback relationship between global climate change and vegetation, offering scientific evidence for global climate change evaluation.