Luo et al. (2026) Spatial Heterogeneity and Land Use Modulation of Soil Moisture–Vapor Pressure Deficit–Solar-Induced Fluorescence Interactions in Henan, China: An Integrated Random Forest–GeoShapley Approach

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Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-11
• Authors: Xiaohu Luo, linjie bi, Xianwei Chang, Qiao Wang, Di Yang, Huan Wang
• DOI: 10.3390/rs18020235

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study investigated the fine-scale spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture (SM), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) interactions, and their modulation by land use/cover change (LUCC) in Henan Province, China. It found that VPD and its geographic interactions predominantly control SIF variability, with LUCC-specific thresholds and sensitivities, highlighting croplands' high sensitivity to VPD and natural lands' greater hydraulic resilience.

Objective

• To explore the fine-scale spatial heterogeneity in the coupled effects of soil moisture (SM) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), and their modulation by land use/cover change (LUCC), particularly in transitional agricultural zones.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Henan Province, China.
• Temporal Scale: Growing-season data from 2001 to 2020.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Integrated analytical framework combining Random Forest with GeoShapley analysis, alongside threshold detection and sensitivity modeling.
• Data sources: Growing-season data (2001–2020) for solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), soil moisture (SM), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and land use/cover change (LUCC), implied to be from remote sensing and/or reanalysis sources.

Main Results

• VPD and its geographic interaction terms (VPD × Longitude, VPD × Latitude) were the dominant factors influencing SIF variability, with their combined contribution (Shapley value) being over six times greater than that of SM and its geographic interactions.
• LUCC-specific environmental thresholds were identified:
  • Croplands exhibited the lowest SM threshold (approximately 0.231 m³/m³) and the highest sensitivity to VPD (−0.234 ± 0.018).
  • Natural lands showed a shift from SM-dominated to VPD-dominated SIF regulation at a VPD threshold of approximately 0.7 kPa.
  • Built-up areas demonstrated weak environmental coupling with SIF.
• The co-occurrence of high SM and high VPD significantly suppressed SIF in croplands, whereas natural lands exhibited greater hydraulic resilience under similar conditions.

Contributions

• Provides a quantitative framework for understanding spatially explicit SM–VPD–SIF interactions.
• Offers actionable thresholds (e.g., VPD of 0.7–0.8 kPa) to inform precision irrigation and drought risk management strategies in transitional agricultural climates under future climate scenarios.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Luo2026Spatial,
  author = {Luo, Xiaohu and bi, linjie and Chang, Xianwei and Wang, Qiao and Yang, Di and Wang, Huan},
  title = {Spatial Heterogeneity and Land Use Modulation of Soil Moisture–Vapor Pressure Deficit–Solar-Induced Fluorescence Interactions in Henan, China: An Integrated Random Forest–GeoShapley Approach},
  journal = {Remote Sensing},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/rs18020235},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18020235}
}