The Wei River is the largest tributary of the Yellow River. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation cover and their driving mechanisms within the Wei River basin is critical for ecological conservation and sediment control in the Yellow River. Using spatial analysis and the GeoDetector, this study quantified the spatiotemporal patterns of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and identified dominant drivers across the basin. The results indicate that: ① From 2001 to 2020, the basin-wide mean NDVI increased from 0.59 to 0.73; 85.46% of pixels exhibited increasing trends. Regional variability was moderate, and spatial heterogeneity was pronounced. ② NDVI showed a significant upward trend over 70.80% of the basin, with localized degradation in the Guanzhong Plain; 85.27% of the area is expected to continue increasing in the future. ③ NDVI increased with precipitation and decreased with longer sunshine duration, and displayed unimodal responses to temperature and the aridity index. ④ Precipitation was the primary driver of NDVI, followed by land-use type, aridity, and sunshine duration. ⑤ The explanatory power of meteorological factors for NDVI decreased ober time, whereas the influence of land use gradually increases. These findings provide a scientific basis for ecological protection and vegetation restoration strategies in the basin.
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