Objective To analyze the carbon-water coupling characteristics of typical ecosystems on the Loess Plateau and to reveal the interannual and intra-annual dynamics, spatial patterns, and differences in water use efficiency (WUE) across different ecosystem types. Methods By integrating multi-source remote sensing and flux data, an optimized Biome-BGC model was employed to simulate and analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of WUE in three typical ecosystems on the Loess Plateau (forest, shrubland, and grassland) from 2000 to 2018 following the implementation of the Grain for Green Program (GFGP). Results 1) The optimized model significantly improved simulation accuracy for gross primary productivity (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) across all ecosystem types, with forests showing the highest accuracy (R²=0.95 for GPP; R²=0.94 for ET). Grasslands, however, exhibited relatively greater uncertainty in simulations (R²=0.73 for GPP; R²=0.67 for ET). 2) During 2000—2018, GPP, ET, and WUE all increased on the Loess Plateau. Notably, WUE in forests and grasslands increased significantly (growth rates of 5.38% and 18.45%, respectively), whereas WUE in shrublands declined. Spatially, the majority (70.23%) of the Loess Plateau showed increasing WUE, but the areas with significant increases in ET were much larger than those of WUE or GPP, predominantly located in the regions with markedly enhanced vegetation cover. 3) All three ecosystem types showed a double-peak and single-trough pattern of intra-annual variation in WUE, with peaks in May and October and a trough in July. During the entire growing season, both WUE and GPP across all ecosystem types followed the order: forest>shrubland>grassland. Notably, ET in shrublands approached or even exceeded that of forests during the early and late growing seasons. Conclusion Compared to shrublands, forests and grasslands are more suitable as the priority types for vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau. With past vegetation restoration projects, WUE increased in forests and grasslands but declined in shrublands. These findings provide valuable insights for ecological restoration and carbon-water resource management and regulation on the Loess Plateau.
模型运行过程包含自动初始化(Spinup)过程和常规模拟(Normal)2个阶段。Spinup模式旨在模拟生态系统在不受外界干扰下的稳定状态;Normal模拟是以Spinup后生成的碳水状态作为初始化运行条件开展生态系统碳、水通量及其他状态分量的模拟。对于模型中不能通过直接观测得到的数据,如饱和水汽压差、短波辐射和日长等,由山地气候模型(MT-CLIM)模拟得到[32],其输出结果可直接运用于Biome-BGC模型的运行中,在此基础上对模型进行敏感性分析和PEST参数优化试验(参数优化点位置见图1),并通过优选出的GPP和ET遥感数据,结合决定系数(coefficient of determination, R2)和均方根误差(root mean square error, RMSE)2个统计指标进行模型的精度和适用性评价。
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