Decadal variations in the driving factors of increasing water-use efficiency in China's terrestrial ecosystems from 2000 to 2022

Zhongen Niu; Honglin He; Ying Zhao; Bin Wang; Lili Feng; Yan Lv; Mengyu Zhang; Jiayi Fan; Zhihao Li

Ecological Informatics (Dec 2024)

Decadal variations in the driving factors of increasing water-use efficiency in China's terrestrial ecosystems from 2000 to 2022

Zhongen Niu,
Honglin He,
Ying Zhao,
Bin Wang,
Lili Feng,
Yan Lv,
Mengyu Zhang,
Jiayi Fan,
Zhihao Li

Affiliations

Zhongen Niu: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
Honglin He: Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; National Ecosystem Science Data Center, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding author at: Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Ying Zhao: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
Bin Wang: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
Lili Feng: Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Yan Lv: School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Mengyu Zhang: Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Jiayi Fan: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China; Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; National Ecosystem Science Data Center, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
Zhihao Li: College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China; Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; National Ecosystem Science Data Center, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 84
p. 102895

Abstract

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Ecosystem water-use efficiency (WUE) is a crucial indicator for evaluating carbon and water cycles. Although greening and climate change have significantly altered the WUE in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems, the roles of physiological and ecological processes are not fully understood. To address this, WUE is broken down into two key ratios: gross primary productivity to transpiration (GPP/T), which mainly reflects the effect of plant physiological processes, and transpiration to evapotranspiration (T/ET), which primarily indicates the impact of vegetation changes. Both ratios are influenced by climate change. This study employed a newly developed satellite-based ecosystem service process model Carbon and Exchange between Vegetation, Soil, and Atmosphere-ecosystem service (CEVSA-ES) to examine the impact of GPP/T and T/ET on WUE in China's terrestrial ecosystems from 2000 to 2022, alongside an analysis of the environmental variables affecting these ratios. This study revealed a general increase in WUE during the study period with significant interdecadal differences. Between 2000 and 2010, WUE was relatively stable (slope = 0.0023 g C kg−1 H2O a−1, p > 0.05), primarily because the decrease in GPP/T (p 0.05). Factors affecting GPP/T and T/ET showed considerable variability. Precipitation had the main influence on GPP/T, accounting for 70 % of its variation. The initial decade of the 21st century experienced an overall precipitation deficiency, followed by a sustained surplus in the subsequent years, resulting in interdecadal fluctuations in GPP/T. In contrast, T/ET was affected by a combination of factors, including the leaf area index, temperature, and precipitation, contributing 39 %, 29 %, and 32 %, respectively. The present study advances our understanding of the interaction of terrestrial ecosystem with the atmosphere amid global changes, offering crucial insights for forecasting the future dynamics of carbon and water cycles.

Published in Ecological Informatics

ISSN: 1574-9541 (Print); 1878-0512 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Technology: Technology (General): Industrial engineering. Management engineering: Information technology; Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-informatics

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