Warming-induced drought has widely affected forest dynamics in most places of the northern hemisphere. In this study, we assessed how climate warming has affected Picea crassifolia (Qinghai spruce) forests using tree growth-climate relationships and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) along the Qilian Mountains, northeastern Tibet Plateau (the main range of Picea crassifolia). Based on the analysis on trees radial growth data from the upper tree line and the regional NDVI data, we identified a pervasive growth decline in recent decades, most likely caused by warming-induced droughts. The drought stress on Picea crassifolia radial growth were expanding from northeast to southwest and the favorable moisture conditions for tree growth were retreating along the identical direction in the study area over the last half century. Compared to the historical drought stress on tree radial growth in the 1920s, recent warming-induced droughts display a longer-lasting stress with a broader spatial distribution on regional forest growth. If the recent warming continues without the effective moisture increasing, then a notable challenge is developed for Picea crassifolia in the Qilian Mountains. Elaborate forest management is necessary to counteract the future risk of climate change effects in this region.
National Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China;National Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China;Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China;National Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China;Ecosystem Dynamics, Institute for Botany and Landscape Ecology, University Greifswald, Grimmer Strasse 88, 17487, Greifswald, Germany;National Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China
Recommended Citation:
Li Yu,Lei Huang,Xuemei Shao,et al. Warming-Induced Decline of Picea crassifolia Growth in the Qilian Mountains in Recent Decades[J]. PLOS ONE,2015-01-01,10(6)