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Analysis of the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of vegetative drought and its relationship with meteorological factors in China from 1982 to 2010

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Abstract

Drought is a complex natural phenomenon that can cause reduced water supplies and can consequently have substantial effects on agriculture and socioeconomic activities. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of vegetative drought and its relationship with meteorological factors in China. The Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) dataset calculated from NOAA/AVHRR images from 1982 to 2010 was used to analyse the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of vegetative drought in China. This study also examined the trends in meteorological factors and their influences on drought using monitoring data collected from 686 national ground meteorological stations. The results showed that the VCI appeared to slowly rise in China from 1982 to 2010. From 1982 to 1999, the VCI rose slowly. Then, around 2000, the VCI exhibited a severe fluctuation before it entered into a relatively stable stage. Drought frequencies in China were higher, showing a spatial distribution feature of “higher in the north and lower in the south”. Based on the different levels of drought, the frequencies of mild and moderate drought in four geographical areas were higher, and the frequency of severe drought was higher only in ecologically vulnerable areas, such as the Tarim Basin and the Qaidam Basin. Drought was mainly influenced by meteorological factors, which differed regionally. In the northern region, the main influential factor was sunshine duration, while the other factors showed minimal effects. In the southern region and Tibetan Plateau, the main influential factors were sunshine duration and temperature. In the northwestern region, the main influential factors were wind velocity and station atmospheric pressure.

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Acknowledgements

The authors particular thank the geospatial data cloud for providing the basic data. The authors also wish to thank Miss Xiaojin Qian, Miss Jiahui Wang and Miss Jialing Li from the School of Geography, Geomatics and Planning, Jiangsu Normal University, China, for their assistance in the revision of the manuscript.

Funding

This research is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (no. 41401473 and no. 31560130), the project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), the Ecological Civilization Construction Planning Project of Xuzhou (no. XZGTKJ2016011), and the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for Undergraduates (no. 201610320004Z).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Geomatics and Planning, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China

    Qiu Shen, Liang Liang, Xiang Luo, Yanjun Li & Lianpeng Zhang

  2. Faculty of Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

    Qiu Shen

  3. School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Liang Liang

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  1. Qiu Shen
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  3. Xiang Luo
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Correspondence to Liang Liang.

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Shen, Q., Liang, L., Luo, X. et al. Analysis of the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of vegetative drought and its relationship with meteorological factors in China from 1982 to 2010. Environ Monit Assess 189, 471 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6187-9

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