Zhao Yong-hua

Mapping the vegetation distribution of the permafrost zone on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

In this paper, an updated vegetation map of the permafrost zone in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) was delineated. The vegetation map model was extracted from vegetation sampling with remote sensing (RS) datasets by decision tree method. The spatial resolution of the map is 1 km×1 km, and in it the alpine swamp meadow is firstly distinguished in the high-altitude areas. The results showed that the total vegetated area in the permafrost zone of the QTP is 1,201,751 km2. In the vegetated region, 50,260 km2 is the areas of alpine swamp meadow, 583,909 km2 for alpine meadow, 332,754 km2 for alpine steppe, and 234,828 km2 for alpine desert. This updated vegetation map in permafrost zone of QTP could provide more details about the distribution of alpine vegetation types for studying the vegetation mechanisms in the land surface processes of high-altitude areas.

Soil taxonomy and distribution characteristics of the permafrost region in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Understanding the soil taxonomy and distribution characteristics of the permafrost region in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is very important. On the basis of extensive field surveys and experimental analysis, this study carries out soil taxonomic classification of the permafrost region in the QTP. According to Chinese Soil Taxonomy, the soil of the permafrost region in the QTP can be divided into 6 Orders (Histosols, Aridosols, Gleyosols, Isohumosols, Cambosols, Primosols), 11 Suborders, 19 Groups and 24 Subgroups. Cambosols are the dominant soil type in the permafrost region, followed by Aridosols. From the east to the west of the permafrost region in the QTP, the soil type gradually changes from Cambosols to Aridosols, showing a meridional zonality. The eastern region is dominated by Cambosols, with no obvious latitudinal zonality. From the south to the northwest of the western region, the dominance of Aridosols and Cambosols gradually transited to Aridosols, presenting a latitudinal zonality. The soil in the western region shows a poor vertical zonality, while the distribution of suborders of Cambosols in the eastern region shows a more obvious vertical zonality. The result indicates that precipitation and vegetation are the main factors that influence the zonal distribution of soil. The permafrost in the east has some effect on the vertical soil zonality, but the effect is weakened in the west.

Comparison of Two Approaches for Detecting the Depth of Edge Influence on Vegetation Diversity in the Arid Valley of Southwestern China

Three types of landscape boundary (forest/pepper field, forest/cabbage field, and forest/grassland) were selected in the aird valley of upper reaches of Minjiang River, southwestern China. On the basis of vegetation diversity, the depth of edge influence (DEI) on different types of landscape boundaries was estimated using principal components analysis (PCA) method and moving split-window techniques (MSWT). The results showed that in the 5 transects, PCA method was able to detect the edge influence depth with 3 transects, while MSWT could explain 4 transects. It is concluded that PCA and MSWT both can be used to detect the depth of edge influence within 50 m from the edge to the interior. Similar conclusions were drawn in the forest of each transect with the two methods, but no similar conclusions were drawn in the pepper field of each transect. Although the two methods have advantages and disadvantages respectively, they are useful tools for characterizing edge dynamics. Comparing the two methods, MSWT is more successful.

Landscape pattern change in the upper valley of Min River

The upper valley of Min River (102°59′–104°14′E, 31°26′–33°16′N), which is consisted of the counties Wenchuan, Maoxian, Lixian, Heishui, and Songpan, refers to the part up to Dujiangyan City, and locates on the transition zone from the Tibetan Plateau to the Sichuan Basin. It is one of the most important forest areas in China, especially in Sichuan Province. Over past two decades, the landscape changed remarkably in the region. The 3S techniques (Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Position System (GPS)) were used to classify the images and analyze the landscape change. The remotely sensed data of Landsat TM 1986 and Landsat ETM+2000 were used to analyze the landscape change of the region. The landscape were classified into 10 types of cropland, forest, shrub land, economic forest, grassland, build up land, river, lake, swamp, and unused land. The results showed that: 1) the woodland and grassland were dominating landscape types in the upper valley of Min River, which is more than 91% of the study area; 2) the alteration of the landscape was mainly happened among forest, shrub land, grassland, economic forest, cropland, and build up land, where forest decreased from 51.17% to 47.56%; 3) the landscape fragmentation in the upper valley of Min River was aggravated from 1986 to 2000.