Article
Engineering, Civil
Hailong Pan, Qihua Ran, Yanyan Hong, Jin Wang, Xiuxiu Chen, Sheng Ye
Summary: Since 1999, the 'Grain for Green Program' has led to large-scale ecological restoration activities in China's Loess Plateau, which have significantly influenced the landscape and soil properties. This research focuses on the changes in saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), an important parameter in hydrological cycle, in the root zone. Soil samples from different land use types at various sites were collected and analyzed. The results indicate that revegetation has improved Ks values, particularly in the near surface layers, and the vertical profiles of Ks are correlated to vegetation index (NDVI).
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shangyu Shi, Jingjie Yu, Fei Wang, Ping Wang, Yichi Zhang, Kai Jin
Summary: The study found that vegetation coverage on the Loess Plateau is increasing, positively correlated with the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), indicating that long-term water availability is the major climate factor affecting vegetation growth. Climate change accounts for 45.78% of vegetation change, while human activities account for 54.22%, with the relative role of climate change increasing with time scales.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yi Dong, Dongqin Yin, Xiang Li, Jianxi Huang, Wei Su, Xuecao Li, Hongshuo Wang
Summary: The implementation of the Grain for Green program has successfully curbed vegetation degradation and soil erosion issues in the Loess Plateau (LP) of China. The study analyzed the spatial-temporal evolution of vegetation NDVI from 2000 to 2015, and identified driving forces influencing the evolution such as climate, environment, and human activities. Results showed varying NDVI trends between the semi-humid and semi-arid areas of the LP, with different factors driving the changes in each region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shifeng Chen, Qifei Zhang, Yaning Chen, Honghua Zhou, Yanyun Xiang, Zhihui Liu, Yifeng Hou
Summary: This study analyzed the vegetation change and ecological quality of the Loess Plateau using remote sensing data, and evaluated their relationship with climate, terrestrial water storage, and land use/cover change. The results showed that vegetation in the Loess Plateau has significantly recovered, but with regional variations. Precipitation and anthropogenic land use/cover change were found to be the primary factors affecting vegetation change in the region.
Article
Remote Sensing
Shobha K. Yadav, Aaron E. Maxwell
Summary: This study investigates grassland degradation within the Tibetan Plateau using satellite imagery and terrain models. The results show an increase in vegetation growth in the region, particularly in the eastern portion of the plateau. The analysis also suggests that specific grassland types and landforms contribute to this greening trend. However, the correlations between terrain features and vegetation change were found to be modest. Further research is needed to fully understand the dynamics of landscape change in the region.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ilknur Zeren Cetin, Tugrul Varol, Halil Baris Ozel, Hakan Sevik
Summary: Economic and industrial development have led to population concentration in cities, resulting in the urban heat island effect. This study analyzed the changes in the urban heat island effect in the central district of Bartin over the past 30 years and found increases in urban surfaces and land surface temperatures, as well as a decline in vegetation. The results emphasized the importance of increasing open and green areas to mitigate the negative effects of the urban heat island.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruixue Ma, Dacheng Wang, Ximin Cui, Xiaojing Yao, Shenshen Li, Hongsen Wang, Bingxuan Liu
Summary: The Grain for Green Project has greatly improved the vegetation cover and water use efficiency of the Loess Plateau. The study found that vegetation WUE increased steadily in the past two decades, mainly due to vegetation restoration and cover. Vegetation restoration plays a crucial role in enhancing water use efficiency on the Loess plateau.
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
Ecology
Xiling Gu, Enliang Guo, Shan Yin, Yongfang Wang, Naren Mandula, Zhiqiang Wan, Xiangjun Yun, He Li, Yuhai Bao
Summary: This study analyzed the response of different vegetation types in the Mongolian Plateau to the cumulative and lagged effects of drought, and found that the contribution of drought to vegetation growth depends on the cumulative and lagged effects.
Article
Agronomy
Ewa Panek, Dariusz Gozdowski
Summary: This study analyzed the relationships between NDVI and grain yield in 20 European countries, finding strong correlations in Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia, allowing for early yield prediction. Weak relationships were observed in France and Belgium.
Article
Plant Sciences
Weeberb J. Requia, Claudia Costa Saenger, Rejane Ennes Cicerelli, Lucijane Monteiro de Abreu, Vanessa R. N. Cruvinel
Summary: This study investigates the association between greenness and academic performance at the school-level in Brazil. The results show a positive correlation between green areas surrounding schools and math academic performance, suggesting that improving the environment around schools can promote public health.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jean Moussa Kourouma, Emmanuel Eze, Emnet Negash, Darius Phiri, Royd Vinya, Atkilt Girma, Amanuel Zenebe
Summary: The study aimed to characterize agricultural drought in Ethiopia and understand its effects on crop yield using NDVI and VCI values. Results showed that VCI and NDVI data are useful for drought monitoring in Ethiopia, and that crops like maize, teff, and beans are more vulnerable to drought.
GEOMATICS NATURAL HAZARDS & RISK
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bing Tong, Hui Xu, Robert Horton, Lingen Bian, Jianping Guo
Summary: This study determines the soil apparent thermal diffusivity (k) using the conduction-convection method based on the near-surface soil temperature measured at three sites on the Tibetan Plateau from 2014 to 2016. The hourly, daily, and monthly k values were obtained, showing variations among different sites and years. The relationship between k and soil moisture was found to be consistent with previous studies, except when soil temperature was below 0 degrees Celsius. The results also demonstrated a significant correlation between k and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index.
Article
Forestry
Tong Xu, Hua Wu
Summary: This study investigates the vegetation changes and driving factors in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over a span of 21 years. The results show an increasing trend in vegetation coverage, with significant spatial variations. Temperature and precipitation have a positive correlation with vegetation coverage, and the combined effect of multiple factors is higher than that of single factors.
Article
Forestry
Xisheng Hu, Chongmin Xu, Jin Chen, Yuying Lin, Sen Lin, Zhilong Wu, Rongzu Qiu
Summary: Urban vegetation plays a crucial role in regulating urban climate and improving the urban environment. This study proposes a synthetic vegetation quality index (VQI) to effectively and quickly assess urban vegetation quality and detects its changes over time. The results demonstrate the reliability and applicability of the VQI in evaluating urban vegetation quality and its impact on the urban thermal environment.