New Research Reveals Crucial Insights into Climate Change on China's Loess Plateau

Strategic Insights -

Chinese researchers have made groundbreaking discoveries about the impacts of climate change on the Loess Plateau, a vital region for China's grain and energy production. The study, conducted by Shaanxi Normal University, utilized a model based on remotely sensed vegetation indices and multi-period land use data to estimate the spatial distribution and trends of gross primary productivity (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) from 1982 to 2017. The researchers found that the average annual GPP and ET for the entire plateau are 430.5 +/- 58.7 g C m-2 yr-1 and 359.2 +/- 29.4 mm yr-1, respectively.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Loess Plateau is crucial for China's grain and energy production, making it essential to understand the spatio-temporal variations and driving factors of GPP and ET in this area.
  • The researchers used a model based on remotely sensed vegetation indices and multi-period land use data to estimate the spatial distribution and trends of GPP and ET from 1982 to 2017.
  • The results indicate that soil evaporation accounts for the largest proportion of ET (42.7 %), particularly in Sandy land region (I) (58.9 %).
  • Both GPP and ET have significantly increased at rates of 5.3 g C m-2 and 2.3 mm annually, with vegetation transpiration being the dominant factor influencing ET changes.
  • Climate factors, including precipitation and temperature, also contribute to the increases in GPP and ET, but their influence is comparatively smaller.
  • Flux changes in grasslands and croplands are dominant drivers of increased total GPP and ET across the Loess Plateau, with regions I and II contributing the most to these increases, particularly in the recent decade.

Sources:

  • VerticalNews, 2025. New Findings On Climate Change Described By Shaanxi Normal University (Regional Variations In Vegetation Greening and Climate Change Impacts On Gross Primary Productivity and Evapotranspiration In the Loess Plateau).
  • Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol. 373, 2025, Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  • NewsRx, 2025. New Climate Change Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at Shaanxi Normal University (Regional Variations In Vegetation Greening and Climate Change Impacts On Gross Primary Productivity and Evapotranspiration In the Loess Plateau). Global Warming Focus, p. 516.