Article
Environmental Sciences
Fen Chen, Tim van de Voorde, Dar Roberts, Haojie Zhao, Jingbo Chen
Summary: This communication discusses the limitations and risks of a commonly used method for detecting ground materials, which relies on setting thresholds for normalized difference indices. The authors critically analyze this method and present experimental results on various spectral libraries and satellite images. They highlight the risk of commission errors and provide suggestions for reducing them.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yanni Zhao, Jian Peng, Zihan Ding, Sijing Qiu, Xuebang Liu, Jiansheng Wu, Jeroen Meersmans
Summary: There is inconsistency between grassland greenness and productivity in China, with the relative increase rate of productivity higher than that of greenness. Temperature and precipitation are the main contributing factors to grassland growth change.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenxu Cao, Hang Xu, Zhiqiang Zhang
Summary: Global climate change has a profound impact on vegetation growth patterns. However, regional climate characteristics tend to weaken the disparities in vegetation responses observed in large-scale studies. Additionally, different vegetation types exhibit distinct reactions to climate variability, making it challenging to detect and attribute changes in vegetation growth. This study used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution and dynamic characteristics of climate change effects on vegetation growth from 2000 to 2020. The findings revealed a continuous greening trend, with precipitation identified as the dominant climatic factor influencing this trend. Continued warming, however, has led to a slowdown in vegetation growth. Solar radiation was also found to correspond to the vegetation trend. These findings highlight the nonlinearity of long-term vegetation growth trends with climate variation and provide valuable insights into forecasting vegetation responses to future climate change.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Shengpeng Cao, Yi He, Lifeng Zhang, Yi Chen, Wang Yang, Sheng Yao, Qiang Sun
Summary: The study analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of drought in the Vegetation Region of Northwest China (VRNWC) over the past 20 years, revealing a slowing down trend of drought in VRNWC with significant impact on vegetation. Future drought is likely to increase in the area.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Zhengrong Wang, Yuting Yang, Cicheng Zhang, Hui Guo, Ying Hou
Summary: This study improves the calculation of water balance in the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) model by using hydrological outputs from global hydrological models. The results show that the improved PDSI estimates have a better correlation with observed runoff and perform well in capturing hydrological droughts.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuliang Zhou, Ping Zhou, Juliang Jin, Chengguo Wu, Yi Cui, Yuliang Zhang, Fang Tong
Summary: The study utilized the PDSI method for drought identification, achieving consistent results with actual drought situations. Drought severity and peak intensity were found effective in reflecting the impacts of drought.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Samuel Henrique Kamphorst, Gabriel Moreno Bernardo Goncalves, Antonio Teixeira do Amaral Junior, Valter Jario de Lima, Katia Fabiane Medeiros Schmitt, Jhean Torres Leite, Valdinei Cruz Azeredo, Leticia Peixoto Gomes, Jose Gabriel de Souza Silva, Carolina Macedo Carvalho, Gabrielle Sousa Mafra, Rogerio Figueiredo Daher, Eliemar Campostrini
Summary: The identification of traits associated with drought tolerance in popcorn is important for selecting superior plants under soil water deficit. This study showed that traits like 100-grain weight and prolificacy were significantly affected by water restriction, and multiple regression models could be used to predict grain yield and popping expansion. The leaf greenness index and characteristics like tassel length were found to be useful for indirect selection strategies to increase yield and popping expansion in popcorn breeding programs.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chenlu Huang, Juan Xu, Linxin Shan
Summary: Vegetation information is crucial for managing the regional environment in the face of climate change. This study focused on the Zu Li River Basin (ZRB), a typical arid and semi-arid watershed on the Loess Plateau, to investigate the long-term changes in vegetation cover and their drivers and impacts. By utilizing high-resolution and long-term NDVI data generated from the 30 m Landsat dataset analyzed in the Google Earth Engine (GEE), this study provided valuable insights into vegetation dynamics using long-time-series data products. The findings revealed an increasing trend in the annual mean maximum NDVI in the ZRB from 1987 to 2021, with a significant difference among different areas.
Article
Water Resources
Nadir Ahmed Elagib, Islam Sabry Al Zayed, Muhammad Khalifa, Abbas E. Rahma, Marwan M. A. Ali, Karl Schneider
Summary: Recent climate change has significantly impacted the agricultural systems in the African Sahel region, with drought remaining the primary risk to crop productivity. This study assesses the effects of droughts versus floods on crop yield levels and losses, and finds that drought has a more severe impact compared to floods. The vulnerability to these extremes varies depending on the farming system and crop type. These findings highlight the importance of implementing agricultural management strategies that consider the combined implications of hydrological extremes for food security in the region.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yanping Yuan, Xuchun Ye, Tingting Liu, Xianghu Li
Summary: Drought has serious impacts on agriculture and ecology in China. This study focuses on drought monitoring and the impact of human activities in the Poyang Lake basin. The results show spatial differentiation in drought frequency and the influence of human activities. The study also highlights the importance of ecological protection and green development in mitigating drought.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Water Resources
Nadir Ahmed Elagib, Islam Sabry Al Zayed, Muhammad Khalifa, Abbas E. Rahma, Marwan M. A. Ali, Karl Schneider
Summary: Recent climate change in the African Sahel has resulted in new patterns of drought and heavy rainfall. This study assesses the effects of droughts versus floods on crop yield levels and losses in the region, particularly during the recovery period from 2001 to 2020. The results show that drought remains the most significant risk to crop productivity, although some recent large-scale floods have also led to yield loss. The vulnerability to droughts and floods varies depending on the farming system and crop type.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoqing Tan, Siqiong Luo, Hongmei Li, Xiaohua Hao, Jingyuan Wang, Qingxue Dong, Zihang Chen
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between snow cover, vegetation, and soil temperature using remote sensing indicators. The results showed a negative correlation between annual snow cover duration and soil temperature, but a positive correlation between annual NDVI and soil temperature. Changes in snow cover and vegetation in the Three River Source Region were observed, affecting the local soil temperatures differently.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pratima Khatri-Chhetri, Sean M. Hendryx, Kyle A. Hartfield, Michael A. Crimmins, Willem J. D. van Leeuwen, Van R. Kane
Summary: Understanding the patterns and relationships between vegetation productivity and climatic conditions in the Southwest United States over a 16-year period from 2000 to 2015 is crucial for predicting the impacts of climate change. The study found that all four ecoregions in the region are experiencing more frequent and severe drought conditions in recent years, with changes in NDVI more strongly correlated with winter water availability. Different vegetation types were found to exhibit varying degrees of dependence on summer versus winter water availability.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lili Zhao, Lusheng Li, Yanbin Li, Huayu Zhong, Fang Zhang, Junzhen Zhu, Yibo Ding
Summary: A new drought index (VDCI) was constructed in this study to monitor vegetation drought in nine major river basins in China. The index takes into account precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and NDVI data. The results showed that VDCI has a stronger relationship with NDVI and is more sensitive in monitoring short-term vegetation drought compared to traditional drought indices.
JOURNAL OF ARID LAND
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sajjad Hussain, Muhammad Mubeen, Ashfaq Ahmad, Hamid Majeed, Saeed Ahmad Qaisrani, Hafiz Mohkum Hammad, Muhammad Amjad, Iftikhar Ahmad, Shah Fahad, Naveed Ahmad, Wajid Nasim
Summary: This research examines the impact of changes in land use/land cover on land surface temperature (LST) in Southern Punjab, Pakistan, using remote sensing data. The study finds that the expansion of buildings and conversion of vegetation land into commercial and residential areas has accelerated the increase of LST. The study also shows a negative correlation between NDVI and NDWI with lower LST, and a positive correlation between NDBI and higher LST.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qi Feng, Liangjiang Zhou, Erxue Chen, Xingdong Liang, Lei Zhao, Yu Zhou
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Zhou, Li Zhang, Jingfeng Xiao, Christopher A. Williams, Irina Vitkovskaya, Anming Bao
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huan Gu, Christopher A. Williams, Natalia Hasler, Yu Zhou
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Li Zhang, Jingfeng Xiao, Yi Zheng, Sinan Li, Yu Zhou
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Zhou, Christopher A. Williams, Thomas Lauvaux, Kenneth J. Davis, Sha Feng, Ian Baker, Scott Denning, Yaxing Wei
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Yusufjon Gafforov, Alexander Ordynets, Ewald Langer, Manzura Yarasheva, Adriana de Mello Gugliotta, Dmitry Schigel, Lorenzo Pecoraro, Yu Zhou, Lei Cai, Li-Wei Zhou
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Zhou, Christopher A. Williams, Natalia Hasler, Huan Gu, Robert Kennedy
Summary: Monitoring systems like NFCMS are crucial for accurately quantifying forest carbon dynamics, and this study demonstrates its potential in assessing the biomass and carbon fluxes in the Pacific Northwest region. The forests in PNW act as a stable net sink for atmospheric CO2, but harvesting activities and wildfires contribute significantly to carbon emissions in the region.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sha Feng, Thomas Lauvaux, Christopher A. Williams, Kenneth J. Davis, Yu Zhou, Ian Baker, Zachary R. Barkley, Daniel Wesloh
Summary: Terrestrial biosphere models play a crucial role in studying carbon cycle processes and the carbon-climate system. Evaluation of the CASA TBM using CO2 measurements and flux data reveal uncertainties introduced by the biosphere and highlight issues with missing sink processes and the sensitivity of the model to key parameters such as maximum light use efficiency.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Y. Wei, R. Shrestha, S. Pal, T. Gerken, S. Feng, J. McNelis, D. Singh, M. M. Thornton, A. G. Boyer, M. A. Shook, G. Chen, B. C. Baier, Z. R. Barkley, J. D. Barrick, J. R. Bennett, E. V. Browell, J. F. Campbell, L. J. Campbell, Y. Choi, J. Collins, J. Dobler, M. Eckl, A. Fiehn, A. Fried, J. P. Digangi, R. Barton-Grimley, H. Halliday, T. Klausner, S. Kooi, J. Kostinek, T. Lauvaux, B. Lin, M. J. McGill, B. Meadows, N. L. Miles, A. R. Nehrir, J. B. Nowak, M. Obland, C. O'Dell, R. M. P. Fao, S. J. Richardson, D. Richter, A. Roiger, C. Sweeney, J. Walega, P. Weibring, C. A. Williams, M. M. Yang, Y. Zhou, K. J. Davis
Summary: The ACT-America project aims to study the transport and fluxes of greenhouse gases through multiple research flights conducted between 2016 to 2019. By collecting a large amount of airborne measurement data, the project provides coherence to the data, creates geolocated data products, and makes it much easier for users to perform holistic analysis.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Jiamei Sun, Xinyuan Wei, Yu Zhou, Catherine Chan, Jiaojiao Diao
Summary: This study examined the immediate and lagged effects of hurricanes on nitrogen and phosphorous exports in seven watersheds in Puerto Rico. The results showed that hurricanes can accelerate nitrogen and phosphorus exports significantly, up to 297 times and 306 times the long-term average, respectively. It also takes approximately one year for riverine nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations to recover to pre-hurricane levels, during which the concentrations are on average 30% and 28% higher than the pre-hurricane concentrations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuqi Dong, Yu Zhou, Li Zhang, Yu Gu, Dewayany Sutrisno
Summary: Port cities in Southeast Asia have experienced intensive land use and cover change due to rapid socio-economic development in recent decades. This study utilized remote sensing data to analyze the land use transition in these cities from 1990 to 2020 and found significant increases in artificial surfaces at the expense of cultivated land. The results also revealed a tradeoff between city development and agricultural production, as well as negative impacts on aqua ecosystems.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Enqing Hou, Shuang Ma, Yuanyuan Huang, Yu Zhou, Hyung-Sub Kim, Efren Lopez-Blanco, Lifen Jiang, Jianyang Xia, Feng Tao, Christopher Williams, Mathew Williams, Daniel Ricciuto, Paul J. Hanson, Yiqi Luo
Summary: This study used a matrix approach to analyze the differences in simulating land carbon dynamics between different models and identify their sources. The study found that the differences between models mainly came from differences in baseline carbon residence time and environmental factors, and these differences can be reduced by standardizing model parameters. The findings of this study are important for improving climate change prediction.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Sophie Ruehr, Trevor F. Keenan, Christopher Williams, Yu Zhou, Xinchen Lu, Ana Bastos, Josep G. Canadell, Iain Colin Prentice, Stephen Sitch, Cesar Terrer
Summary: This article investigates the storage and growth of carbon in the terrestrial biosphere, highlighting the importance of understanding the processes driving the carbon sink for mitigating climate change. The article suggests that continued carbon sequestration is possible through nature-based climate solutions and appropriate ecosystem management.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Min Yan, Zengyuan Li, Xin Tian, Li Zhang, Yu Zhou