Qiao et al. (2026) Vegetation–Atmosphere Water Deficit as the Primary Control on Alpine Steppe and Forest Coverage: An Empirical Assessment from the Altay Mountains, Northwestern China

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Identification

• Journal: Biology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-02
• Authors: Xu Qiao, Xu Yan, Dong Cui, Tao Lin, Zhiguo Miao, 龚荫成, Aishajiang Aili, Fabiola Bakayisire
• DOI: 10.3390/biology15110879

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study analyzes the drivers of vegetation coverage in the Chinese Altay Mountains from 2000 to 2024, concluding that water availability is the primary controlling factor.

Objective

• To assess the relationships between vegetation coverage and climatic factors, specifically water availability, atmospheric demand, and extreme climate indicators, in the Chinese Altay Mountains.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Chinese Altay Mountains.
• Temporal Scale: 2000–2024.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Pixel-based correlation analysis and directional interaction classification.
• Data sources: MODIS NDVI, meteorological observations, drought indices (SPEI, TVDI), and extreme climate indicators (GSL, WSDI, TX90).

Main Results

• Water availability is the dominant factor controlling vegetation cover.
• Vegetation coverage is positively associated with annual precipitation, SPEI, and precipitation-related extreme indices.
• Vegetation coverage is negatively associated with warmth-related indices, including GSL, WSDI, and TX90.
• Temperature effects vary by altitude: warming suppresses vegetation in water-limited low- and middle-elevation areas but may benefit vegetation in cold-limited high-elevation zones.
• SPEI shows a more consistent relationship with vegetation coverage than TVDI, suggesting cumulative climatic water balance is a better indicator of regional drought response than surface dryness.

Contributions

• Highlights the critical role of the vegetation–atmosphere water deficit in regulating mountain vegetation dynamics.
• Demonstrates that cumulative climatic water balance (SPEI) provides a more accurate representation of vegetation drought responses in this region compared to surface dryness (TVDI).

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Qiao2026VegetationAtmosphere,
  author = {Qiao, Xu and Yan, Xu and Cui, Dong and Lin, Tao and Miao, Zhiguo and 龚荫成 and Aili, Aishajiang and Bakayisire, Fabiola},
  title = {Vegetation–Atmosphere Water Deficit as the Primary Control on Alpine Steppe and Forest Coverage: An Empirical Assessment from the Altay Mountains, Northwestern China},
  journal = {Biology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/biology15110879},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15110879}
}