The fusion of multiple scale data indicates that the carbon sink function of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is substantial

Carbon Balance and Management

Research

Yajie Zhang¹  Tao Zhou¹  E. Tan¹  Jingzhou Zhang¹  Yixin Xu¹  Qiaoyu Lin¹  Xuemei Wu¹  Xia Liu¹  Jingyu Zeng¹ 

[1] Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disasters of Chinese Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China;State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China;

关键词: Qinghai-Tibet Plateau;    Carbon source and sink;    Multiple scale information fusion;    Machine learning;    Uncertainty assessment;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13021-023-00239-9

 received in 2023-02-20, accepted in 2023-09-03,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the “sensitive area” of climate change, and also the “driver” and “amplifier” of global change. The response and feedback of its carbon dynamics to climate change will significantly affect the content of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, due to the unique geographical environment characteristics of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there is still much controversy about its carbon source and sink estimation results. This study designed a new algorithm based on machine learning to improve the accuracy of carbon source and sink estimation by integrating multiple scale carbon input (net primary productivity, NPP) and output (soil heterotrophic respiration, Rh) information from remote sensing and ground observations. Then, we compared spatial patterns of NPP and Rh derived from the fusion of multiple scale data with other widely used products and tried to quantify the differences and uncertainties of carbon sink simulation at a regional scale.ResultsOur results indicate that although global warming has potentially increased the Rh of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it will also increase its NPP, and its current performance is a net carbon sink area (carbon sink amount is 22.3 Tg C/year). Comparative analysis with other data products shows that CASA, GLOPEM, and MODIS products based on remote sensing underestimate the carbon input of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (30–70%), which is the main reason for the severe underestimation of the carbon sink level of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (even considered as a carbon source).ConclusionsThe estimation of the carbon sink in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is of great significance for ensuring its ecological barrier function. It can deepen the community’s understanding of the response to climate change in sensitive areas of the plateau. This study can provide an essential basis for assessing the uncertainty of carbon sources and sinks in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and also provide a scientific reference for helping China achieve “carbon neutrality” by 2060.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

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