Analysis of the Driving Force of Spatial and Temporal Differentiation of Carbon Storage in Taihang Mountains Based on InVEST Model

Abstract

The Taihang Mountains are an important ecological barrier in China, and their ecosystems have good carbon sink capacity. Studying the spatial-temporal variation characteristics and driving factors of carbon storage in the Taihang Mountains ecosystem provides decision-making for the construction of “dual carbon” projects and the improvement of ecological environment quality in this region. This paper takes the area in the Taihang Mountains as the research area, based on the land use and carbon density data of 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2019 of the Taihang Mountains, calculates the carbon storage in the region with the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model, explores the main factors affecting the spatial differentiation of carbon storage in this region, and analyzes their driving mechanisms by Geodetector. The results show that: (1) From 2005 to 2019, the land use of the Taihang Mountains changed somewhat. The area of forest and construction land increased slightly, while the area of farmland and grassland decreased. (2) The current carbon storage in the Taihang Mountains ranges from 1472.91 × 106 t to 1478.17 × 106 t (t is the abbreviation of ton), and shows a decreasing trend, which is due to the decrease in forest and the increase in construction land. (3) Slope and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are the main driving factors affecting the spatial variation of carbon storage in the Taihang Mountains ecosystem. Temperature, precipitation, and population density are the secondary factors affecting the spatial variation of carbon storage. (4) The synergy between the driving factors is more potent than the individual factor, which is the most evident between NDVI and slope. This means some areas may have more abundant carbon storage under the combined effect of slope and NDVI.