Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015
The spatiotemporal change in the alpine timberline, an ecosystem ecotone, is an ideal indicator for use in climate change research. In order to gain a quantitative understanding of the response of the alpine timberline to climate change, the Hengduan Mountains region of China was selected as a study...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2022-02-01
|
| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22000607 |
| _version_ | 1828129443393044480 |
|---|---|
| author | Lei Tian Wenxue Fu Yu Tao Mingyang Li Lei Wang |
| author_facet | Lei Tian Wenxue Fu Yu Tao Mingyang Li Lei Wang |
| author_sort | Lei Tian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The spatiotemporal change in the alpine timberline, an ecosystem ecotone, is an ideal indicator for use in climate change research. In order to gain a quantitative understanding of the response of the alpine timberline to climate change, the Hengduan Mountains region of China was selected as a study area and a series of 136 Landsat images covering this area that were acquired in 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015 were collected. First, the alpine timberline was retrieved and the spatiotemporal dynamics of the timberline were explored. The effect of topography on the location of the alpine timberline was also analyzed. The results indicate that the average elevation of the timberline increased by about 55 (±8.54) m from 3992.58 m in 1985 to 4047.60 m in 2015; however, there was obvious spatial heterogeneity in these changes. On the whole, the average elevation of the timberline on shaded slopes (northern, northeastern, and northwestern slopes) were found to be about 160 m higher than on sunward slopes (southern, southeastern, and southwestern slopes). It was also found that, over the period 1985–2015, there has been an obvious acceleration in the upward tendency of the alpine timberline. Finally, the climate variables that are driving this timberline shift were identified and evaluated using the partial least squares (PLS) regression method. The results indicate that the average annual temperature (TEM_Year), total precipitation during the growing season (PRE_Grow), and growing season temperature (TEM_Grow) were the significant positive factors driving the rise in the timberline elevation; the total annual precipitation (PRE_Year) was found to have an unexpected negative influence. Besides, other climatic factors (e.g., strong winds) and non-climate variables (e.g., human influence and soil properties) should be also included in future related studies to enhance the understanding of the link between forest vegetation and climate change under extreme conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:20:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9336ccc28fe3486883fc6ef2a347c2a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:20:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-9336ccc28fe3486883fc6ef2a347c2a12022-12-22T04:14:25ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2022-02-01135108589Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015Lei Tian0Wenxue Fu1Yu Tao2Mingyang Li3Lei Wang4Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China; College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210037, ChinaKey Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China; International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing 100094, China; Corresponding author at: Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China.Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Physical Geographical Environment, Chuzhou 239000, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210037, ChinaKey Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China; International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing 100094, ChinaThe spatiotemporal change in the alpine timberline, an ecosystem ecotone, is an ideal indicator for use in climate change research. In order to gain a quantitative understanding of the response of the alpine timberline to climate change, the Hengduan Mountains region of China was selected as a study area and a series of 136 Landsat images covering this area that were acquired in 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015 were collected. First, the alpine timberline was retrieved and the spatiotemporal dynamics of the timberline were explored. The effect of topography on the location of the alpine timberline was also analyzed. The results indicate that the average elevation of the timberline increased by about 55 (±8.54) m from 3992.58 m in 1985 to 4047.60 m in 2015; however, there was obvious spatial heterogeneity in these changes. On the whole, the average elevation of the timberline on shaded slopes (northern, northeastern, and northwestern slopes) were found to be about 160 m higher than on sunward slopes (southern, southeastern, and southwestern slopes). It was also found that, over the period 1985–2015, there has been an obvious acceleration in the upward tendency of the alpine timberline. Finally, the climate variables that are driving this timberline shift were identified and evaluated using the partial least squares (PLS) regression method. The results indicate that the average annual temperature (TEM_Year), total precipitation during the growing season (PRE_Grow), and growing season temperature (TEM_Grow) were the significant positive factors driving the rise in the timberline elevation; the total annual precipitation (PRE_Year) was found to have an unexpected negative influence. Besides, other climatic factors (e.g., strong winds) and non-climate variables (e.g., human influence and soil properties) should be also included in future related studies to enhance the understanding of the link between forest vegetation and climate change under extreme conditions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22000607Alpine timberlineClimate variablesSpatiotemporal dynamicsTopographic factorHengduan Mountains |
| spellingShingle | Lei Tian Wenxue Fu Yu Tao Mingyang Li Lei Wang Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015 Ecological Indicators Alpine timberline Climate variables Spatiotemporal dynamics Topographic factor Hengduan Mountains |
| title | Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015 |
| title_full | Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015 |
| title_fullStr | Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015 |
| title_short | Dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the Hengduan mountains over the period 1985–2015 |
| title_sort | dynamics of the alpine timberline and its response to climate change in the hengduan mountains over the period 1985 2015 |
| topic | Alpine timberline Climate variables Spatiotemporal dynamics Topographic factor Hengduan Mountains |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22000607 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leitian dynamicsofthealpinetimberlineanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthehengduanmountainsovertheperiod19852015 AT wenxuefu dynamicsofthealpinetimberlineanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthehengduanmountainsovertheperiod19852015 AT yutao dynamicsofthealpinetimberlineanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthehengduanmountainsovertheperiod19852015 AT mingyangli dynamicsofthealpinetimberlineanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthehengduanmountainsovertheperiod19852015 AT leiwang dynamicsofthealpinetimberlineanditsresponsetoclimatechangeinthehengduanmountainsovertheperiod19852015 |