Xue et al. (2025) Emulating vegetation phenology in Xinjiang using GOSIF data: Investigating cumulative and lagged responses to drought

Identification

Journal: Journal of Environmental Management
Year: 2025
Date: 2025-12-11
Authors: Cong Xue, Mei Zan, Shunfa Yang, Zhou Jia, Lili Zhai, Zhilong Zhao, Jian Hong Ke
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128274

Research Groups

College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China
College of Geography and Remote Sensing, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in the Arid Zone, Urumqi, China

Short Summary

This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation phenology (Start and End of Season) in the Xinjiang arid zone from 2001 to 2020 using SIF and MODIS data, quantifying the cumulative and lagged effects of drought on phenology and assessing drought resilience across different vegetation types.

Objective

To extract the spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation Start of Season (SOS) and End of Season (EOS) in the Xinjiang arid zone.
To quantitatively analyze the cumulative and lagged effects of droughts on vegetation SOS and EOS.
To characterize the drought resilience of different vegetation phenologies.
To highlight the advantages of GOSIF in monitoring vegetation phenology in Xinjiang.
To develop an integrated framework encompassing ‘drought stress–phenological response–vegetation growth recovery’ and quantify differences in the post–drought recovery capacity of both SOS and EOS across various vegetation types.

Study Configuration

Spatial Scale: Xinjiang arid zone, China
Temporal Scale: 2001 to 2020 (20 years)

Methodology and Data

Models used: Solar–Induced Fluorescence (SIF), MODIS phenology product, Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)
Data sources: Satellite (GOSIF for SIF, MODIS phenology product), reanalysis/meteorological data for SPEI calculation

Main Results

Vegetation SOSGOSIF was delayed by an average of 13.450 days compared to SOSEVI, while EOSGOSIF was advanced by 24.257 days compared to EOSEVI.
The overall trend of vegetation SOS in Xinjiang showed a significant advancement, while EOS exhibited a delayed trend.
SOSGOSIF was predominantly suppressed by 1-month drought cumulative effects and showed a 2-month lagged response to drought.
EOSGOSIF exhibited higher sensitivity to 6-month drought cumulative effects and had a 1-month lagged effect.
Grassland SOSGOSIF demonstrated the strongest post–drought recovery capacity.
Shrubland EOSGOSIF exhibited the highest drought resilience.

Contributions

Highlights the advantages of GOSIF in monitoring vegetation phenology in the Xinjiang arid zone.
Provides novel insights into the cumulative and lagged effects of multi–scale droughts on vegetation phenology in arid environments.
Developed an integrated framework encompassing ‘drought stress–phenological response–vegetation growth recovery’.
Quantified differences in the post–drought recovery capacity of both SOS and EOS across various vegetation types.
Offers a scientific basis for ecological restoration initiatives and sustainable development in arid zones.

Funding

[Funding information not available in the provided text.]

Citation

@article{Xue2025Emulating,
  author = {Xue, Cong and Zan, Mei and Yang, Shunfa and Jia, Zhou and Zhai, Lili and Zhao, Zhilong and Ke, Jian Hong},
  title = {Emulating vegetation phenology in Xinjiang using GOSIF data: Investigating cumulative and lagged responses to drought},
  journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128274},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128274}
}

Original Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.128274