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Spatial response patterns of subtropical forests to a heavy ice storm: a case study in Poyang Lake Basin, southern China

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Abstract

In early 2008, an unexpected ice storm hits southern China, severely affected the subtropical forest ecosystems. We used the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer products of Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) corroborated with information gathered from field investigations to analyze the spatial patterns of forest damage in Poyang Lake Basin. The results showed that forests on windward aspects and 400–1,000 m elevation zones are sensitive to ice storm. The spatial pattern of forest damage after the ice storm can be understood in light of topographical sheltering effect. Due to the mountains of the basin blocked the cold flow and wind, the damage on windward aspects showed more severity than other aspects, which was similar like previous studies in North America. The most severe canopy loss beyond 63 % (EVI loss 0.085) occurring on 400–800 m elevation zones. The secondary severe forest damage was on 800–1,500 m elevation zones with canopy loss 33 % (EVI loss 0.035), which unlike previous studies in North American that found damage was rapidly decreased at these elevations. This observation fits the ecological disturbances theory suggests that ice storms generating greater damage in forests which less frequently impacted by ice disturbance events. There appears to be a broader pattern of forest damage associated with ice storm in subtropical forests than in temperate regions. This implies that the subtropical forests are more vulnerable than temperate forests to ice storm disturbance.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the “National Key Basic Research Program of China” (2012CB416903, 2009CB421101), the “Strategic Priority Research Program” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,Climate Change: Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues (XDA05070302), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31070559), the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-Q1-14), and the Hundred Talents Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Qianyanzhou Ecological Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, A11, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

    Leilei Shi, Huimin Wang, Wenjiang Zhang, Quanqin Shao, Fengting Yang & Zeqing Ma

  2. Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuanbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China

    Leilei Shi

  3. State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Wenjiang Zhang

  4. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China

    Yidong Wang

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  1. Leilei Shi
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  2. Huimin Wang
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Correspondence to Huimin Wang.

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Shi, L., Wang, H., Zhang, W. et al. Spatial response patterns of subtropical forests to a heavy ice storm: a case study in Poyang Lake Basin, southern China. Nat Hazards 69, 2179–2196 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0800-1

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