Response of the Water Conservation Function to Vegetation Dynamics in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Based on MODIS Products

Abstract

With the increasing demand for global water resources and general deterioration of the ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, changes to the water conservation functions of ecosystems and the impact mechanisms have attracted great attention. Currently, the research on water conservation has mainly focused on a single biome type, in particular, forests. Few studies explore the differences in water conservation functions of different biome types. Research on this topic mostly utilizes field investigations and sample plot settings to explore the differences in water conservation capacity of a small number of tree species, but these methods are limited in time and space. Therefore, this study uses MODIS products to evaluate the water conservation function of different biome types in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Dynamic monitoring of the vegetation and water conservation capacity in the study area and research on the responses of the water conservation functions of different biome types were conducted. The results indicate that the vegetation of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau increased slightly from 2000 to 2015; however, due to the dual influence of climate and topographic factors, the water conservation capacity showed a slight decline. The water conservation service function mainly comes from grassland ecosystems, which are closely related to vegetation density and biome types. Therefore, to greatly improve the water conservation service function of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the management and planting of vegetation should be conducted according to the optimal vegetation coverage area, vegetation quantities and biome types.