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Evaluating land surface temperature variation and its responses to climate change and human activities ------A case study of the Yarlung Zangbo River, southeastern Tibetan Plateau
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  • Xuan Zhou,
  • Baolin Xue,
  • Yuntao Wang,
  • * Yinglan,
  • Guoqiang Wang,
  • Kun Jia
Xuan Zhou
Beijing Normal University Faculty of Geographical Science
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Baolin Xue
Beijing Normal University Faculty of Geographical Science

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Yuntao Wang
Beijing Normal University Faculty of Geographical Science
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* Yinglan
Beijing Normal University Faculty of Geographical Science
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Guoqiang Wang
Beijing Normal University Faculty of Geographical Science
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Kun Jia
Beijing Normal University Faculty of Geographical Science
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Abstract

The Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (YZRB), located in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, has been significantly impacted by global warming and greening. Serving as an indicator of coupled vegetation growth and climate variation, the spatiotemporal land surface temperature (LST) has undergone substantial changes in recent decades. In this study, we evaluated the components of the water and energy cycle from 1980 to 2015 using the VIC model, a widely recognized and applied distributed hydrological model, to obtain continuous 35-year daily LST data. The results demonstrated that the VIC model exhibited high adaptability in the YZRB. Then, the fluctuation of LST was examined, and the influence of environmental elements on LST was identified. Our modeling indicated that climate factors were increasing, while human activities remained stable in the YZRB. In YZRB, the greening was witnessed while LST showed an increasing trend. By distinguishing the impacts of climate and human activities on LST, LST was mainly affected by climate with contribution rate at 70.36% from 1980 to 1995. After 1995, LST was mainly affected by human activities, and its contribution rate was 55%. Grassland with medium cover showed the potential of a cooling influence. Among all environmental factors, albedo showed a negative and delayed effect on LST. Temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration were positively correlated with LST and displayed relatively synchronous changes. Soil moisture and NDVI were detected as leading positive changes in LST. Our study contributes to clarifying the mechanisms influencing LST in high-altitude and high-latitude regions under global greening, providing fundamental insights for socio-economic development in alpine mountainous regions.
Submitted to Hydrological Processes
26 May 2024Submission Checks Completed
26 May 2024Assigned to Editor
11 Jun 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
08 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
25 Jul 20241st Revision Received
14 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
14 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
14 Aug 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
21 Aug 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
29 Aug 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
04 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
17 Sep 20242nd Revision Received
17 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
17 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
17 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
17 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
17 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
03 Oct 20243rd Revision Received
03 Oct 2024Submission Checks Completed
03 Oct 2024Assigned to Editor
03 Oct 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
07 Oct 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
07 Oct 2024Editorial Decision: Accept