Assessing the degree of land degradation and rehabilitation in the Northeast Asia dryland region using net primary productivity and water use efficiency

• DOI: 10.1002/ldr.3506
• Publication Date: 2019-12-13T05:40:04Z
• Authors: Wenping Kang; Sinkyu Kang; Shulin Liu; Youngji Han
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 13. Climate action; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Abstract Changes in vegetation productivity and species composition have been used as conventional indicators of land degradation rehabilitation assessments. The two biophysical parameters vary nonlinearly during change process with various time lags, which provide, a whole, useful framework to diagnose degree rehabilitation. In this study, the net primary (NPP) water use efficiency (WUE), are proxies eco‐physiological properties related composition, were combined develop an assess Northeast‐Asia dryland regions (NADR) from 1982 2012. Results long‐term trends analysis showed early, middle or late stages occurred northern grassland central barren sparsely vegetated regions, respectively, while prevailed eastern croplands forest, southern, western grassland. contrast, short‐term trend illustrated recent mid‐eastern Mongolia Loess Plateau, was unseen analysis. spatial patterns temporal changes could be explained partly by either both natural anthropogenic factors. Long‐term drying warming might induce NADR, recovery projects wetting conditions after 2000s promoted Plateau Mongolia. Here, our NPP–WUE may contribute further conceptual development rapid assessments on wide geographic regions.