Lai et al. (2026) Elevation-dependent regulation of alpine vegetation productivity by snow cover and grazing on the Tibetan Plateau under a warming–wetting climate

Identification

• Journal: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-25
• Authors: Rongyu Lai, Jingping Wang, Xiaojuan Huang, Xufeng Wang, Liying Geng, Junlei Tan, Haibo Wang
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jag.2026.105613

Research Groups

• School of Geography and Planning, Chengdu University of Technology
• State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Gansu Province, Heihe Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University

Short Summary

This study examines the elevation-dependent regulation of alpine vegetation productivity on the Tibetan Plateau under a warming-wetting climate. The results reveal a pronounced nonlinear reorganization of GPP controls along elevation gradients, with snow dynamics emerging as dominant constraints at higher elevations.

Objective

• To quantify the spatiotemporal trends of grassland gross primary productivity (GPP) across the TP from 1982 to 2018 and examine the relationships between GPP and snow dynamics, climate, and grazing intensity.
• To characterize the elevation-dependent relationships of GPP with climate, snow cover, and grazing.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: The study area covers the Tibetan Plateau (TP), which is roughly 2.5 × 106 km2 in size and has a mean elevation of over 4000 m.
• Temporal Scale: The study period spans from 1982 to 2018, covering four decades.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: EC–LUE framework, Ridge regression, Structural equation modeling (SEM)
• Data sources:
  • GLASS AVHRR 8-day GPP product for GPP data
  • China Phenology Dataset for snow cover metrics
  • Tibetan Plateau Data Center for SWE dataset
  • CMFD v2.0 for climate variables
  • Livestock grazing intensity (LHGI) dataset generated by combining random-forest simulations, satellite observations, and county-level livestock census data

Main Results

• The study reveals a pronounced nonlinear reorganization of GPP controls along elevation gradients.
• Snow dynamics emerged as dominant constraints on GPP at higher elevations (>4500 m).
• Soil moisture-mediated pathways consistently exert stronger controls on GPP than soil temperature pathways.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the elevation-dependent regulation of alpine vegetation productivity under a warming-wetting climate.
• The findings highlight the importance of explicitly accounting for cryosphere-biosphere-human interactions when assessing alpine carbon dynamics.

Funding

• This research was supported by projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41671017, 41821003) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. QYZDY-SSW-DQC001).

Citation

@article{Lai2026Elevationdependent,
  author = {Lai, Rongyu and Wang, Jingping and Huang, Xiaojuan and Wang, Xufeng and Geng, Liying and Tan, Junlei and Wang, Haibo},
  title = {Elevation-dependent regulation of alpine vegetation productivity by snow cover and grazing on the Tibetan Plateau under a warming–wetting climate},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jag.2026.105613},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2026.105613}
}