Mingzhu Cao, Weiguang Wang, Jia Wei, Giovanni Forzieri, Ingo Fetzer, Lan Wang-Erlandsson
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Loess Plateau in China has experienced a remarkable greening trend due to vegetation restoration efforts in recent decades. However, the response of precipitation to this greening remains uncertain. In this study, we identified and evaluated the main moisture source regions for precipitation over the Loess Plateau from 1982 to 2019 using a moisture tracking model, the modified WAM-2layers model, and the conceptual framework of the precipitationshed. By integrating multiple linear regression analysis with a conceptual hydrologically weighting method, we quantified the effective influence of different environmental factors for precipitation, particularly the effect of vegetation. Our analysis revealed that local precipitation has increased on average by 0.16 mm yr−1 and evaporation by 5.17 mm yr−1 over the period 2000–2019 after the initiation of the vegetation restoration project. Regional greening including the Loess Plateau contributed to precipitation for about 0.83 mm yr−1, among which local greening contributed for about 0.07 mm yr−1. Local vegetation contribution is due to both an enhanced local evaporation as well as an increased local moisture recycling (6.9% in 1982–1999; 8.3% in 2000–2019). Thus, our study shows that local revegetation had a positive effect on local precipitation, and the primary cause of the observed increase in precipitation over the Loess Plateau is due to a combination of local greening and circulation change. Our study underscores that increasing vegetation over the Loess Plateau has exerted strong influence on local precipitation and supports the positive effects for current and future vegetation restoration plans toward more resilient water resources managements.
期刊介绍:
Water Resources Research (WRR) is an interdisciplinary journal that focuses on hydrology and water resources. It publishes original research in the natural and social sciences of water. It emphasizes the role of water in the Earth system, including physical, chemical, biological, and ecological processes in water resources research and management, including social, policy, and public health implications. It encompasses observational, experimental, theoretical, analytical, numerical, and data-driven approaches that advance the science of water and its management. Submissions are evaluated for their novelty, accuracy, significance, and broader implications of the findings.