Impacts of Climate Change and Land Use/Cover Change on the Net Primary Productivity of Vegetation in the Qinghai Lake Basin

Abstract

The Qinghai Lake Basin acts as a natural barrier, preventing the western desert from spreading eastward. This is an important link in preserving the ecological stability of the northeastern region of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). Therefore, quantitative research into the net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation and its driving force in the Qinghai Lake Basin is required. The effects of land use/cover change (LUCC) and climate change on NPP in the Qinghai Lake Basin were studied using R-contribution ratio and partial correlation analysis methods using MOD17A3H products, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) data, and meteorological data. (1) The LULC of the Qinghai Lake Basin showed a trend that “the area of grassland, cultivated land, and unused land continued to decrease, while the area of other LULC types increased” from 2000 to 2020, according to the study’s findings. Grassland, water bodies, construction land, and unused land dominated the mutual transformation of LULC types. (2) The NPP of the basin showed a growing trend, with a growth rate of 3.93 gC·m–2·a–1 before 2010 and 0.88 gC·m–2·a–1 after 2010. Significant regional heterogeneity was found in NPP, with gradients decreasing from southeast to northwest. (3) The impact of LUCC on overall NPP changes had gradually increased. Climate change has been the primary driver of NPP changes in the Qinghai Lake Basin over the last 20 years.