Cui et al. (2026) Diagnosing interaction between vegetation greening and terrestrial water storage changes in the arid and semi-arid Mongolian plateau

Identification

• Journal: CATENA
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-10
• Authors: Jiahe Cui, Yun Pan, Yuchi Wang, Chong Zhang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2026.109970

Research Groups

• Beijing Laboratory of Water Resources Security, Capital Normal University, China
• College of Resources Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, China

Short Summary

This study investigates the complex, often bidirectional, interactions between vegetation greening and terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) in the arid and semi-arid Mongolian Plateau. It reveals that vegetation greening intensifies groundwater depletion by reducing soil moisture recharge, while limited deep subsurface water recharge restricts vegetation greening, emphasizing the critical role of subsurface water in restoration efforts.

Objective

• To investigate the interaction between vegetation greening and terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) in arid and semi-arid areas, specifically addressing the insufficient understanding of this relationship and vegetation's effects on water cycle processes.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Mongolian Plateau (MP)
• Temporal Scale: Not explicitly stated, but implied to be a multi-year period based on the use of GRACE data.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Granger causality tests, Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM)
• Data sources: GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Anomaly (TWSA) data, vegetation greening data (specific index not mentioned, but implied from context)

Main Results

• More than 50% of the Mongolian Plateau experienced simultaneous vegetation greening and TWSA decline.
• A significant lag effect of vegetation greening on TWSA changes was observed.
• Vegetation unidirectionally influenced TWSA over 73% of the study area, while TWSA unidirectionally affected vegetation in 64% of the MP.
• A bidirectional causal relationship between vegetation and TWSA was found in over 47% of the area, indicating widespread interactions.
• Vegetation greening reduced soil moisture recharge to groundwater, leading to intensified groundwater storage depletion.
• Limited recharge from surface soil moisture to deep subsurface water restricted vegetation greening.
• The constraining effect of subsurface water on vegetation greening was independent of vegetation type.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive diagnosis of the interaction between vegetation greening and TWSA in arid/semi-arid regions using advanced causality and path modeling techniques.
• Quantifies the spatial extent of unidirectional and bidirectional causal relationships between vegetation and TWSA.
• Decomposes TWSA to reveal the specific hydrological mechanisms (e.g., soil moisture-groundwater interaction, subsurface water recharge) driving these interactions.
• Highlights the critical role of subsurface water availability for effective vegetation restoration in water-scarce areas.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Cui2026Diagnosing,
  author = {Cui, Jiahe and Pan, Yun and Wang, Yuchi and Zhang, Chong},
  title = {Diagnosing interaction between vegetation greening and terrestrial water storage changes in the arid and semi-arid Mongolian plateau},
  journal = {CATENA},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.catena.2026.109970},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.109970}
}