IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v308y2025ics0378377425000204.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unraveling the interplay between NDVI, soil moisture, and snowmelt: A comprehensive analysis of the Tibetan Plateau agroecosystem

Author

Listed:
  • Wei, Di
  • Yan, Lin
  • Zhang, Ziqi
  • Yu, Jia
  • Luo, Xue’er
  • Zhang, Yun
  • Wang, Bo

Abstract

The rapid changing climate conditions within Tibetan Plateau determine the complex interaction between vegetation succession and agricultural water resources, including soil moisture and snowmelt. While previous studies have primarily focused on the coupling relationship between NDVI and soil moisture, snowmelt, as a critical water source in plateau ecosystems, plays an equally important role in regulating the water cycle. This study integrates MODIS remote sensing images and ERA5-Land meteorological reanalysis datasets to establish a ternary system encompassing NDVI, soil moisture, and snowmelt. Using geostatistical methods such as trend analysis, cross-correlation, random forest algorithm, and Granger causality, we explore the temporal dynamics and causal relationships among these ecological variables. Results indicate an overall increase in NDVI, a consistent decrease in snowmelt, and spatially heterogeneous changes in soil moisture across the Tibetan Plateau from 2001 to 2023. NDVI and soil moisture exhibit mostly instantaneous responses, with a brief one-month time-lag effect, while NDVI demonstrates a more pronounced lagged response to snowmelt. In grassland ecosystems, soil moisture lags behind snowmelt, whereas in woodlands, snowmelt lags behind soil moisture. Transitional vegetation zones reveal a regulatory feedback loop, where snowmelt predominantly influences soil moisture, which subsequently transitions to a bidirectional feedback mechanism between soil moisture and snowmelt as vegetation succession in woodland ecosystems. This study provides new insights into the feedback processes between vegetation growth and water resources in different ecological zones of Tibetan Plateau, guiding water management and sustainable development for agroecosystem.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei, Di & Yan, Lin & Zhang, Ziqi & Yu, Jia & Luo, Xue’er & Zhang, Yun & Wang, Bo, 2025. "Unraveling the interplay between NDVI, soil moisture, and snowmelt: A comprehensive analysis of the Tibetan Plateau agroecosystem," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:308:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425000204
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109306
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425000204
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109306?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yongchao Duan & Min Luo & Xiufeng Guo & Peng Cai & Fu Li, 2021. "Study on the Relationship between Snowmelt Runoff for Different Latitudes and Vegetation Growth Based on an Improved SWAT Model in Xinjiang, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-26, January.
    2. Zhang, Yang & Zhu, Gaofeng & Che, Tao & Wang, Shangtao & Xu, Cong & Chen, Huiling & Zhang, Yuzhong & Su, Yonghong & Fan, Haochen, 2024. "The ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration and water use efficiency in an irrigated oasis agroecosystem: Different temporal-scale effects," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    3. Raju GUNTUKULA, 2018. "Exports, imports and economic growth in India: Evidence from cointegration and causality analysis," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(2(615), S), pages 221-230, Summer.
    4. Noah S. Diffenbaugh & Martin Scherer & Moetasim Ashfaq, 2013. "Response of snow-dependent hydrologic extremes to continued global warming," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(4), pages 379-384, April.
    5. Xueying Li & Di Long & Bridget R. Scanlon & Michael E. Mann & Xingdong Li & Fuqiang Tian & Zhangli Sun & Guangqian Wang, 2022. "Climate change threatens terrestrial water storage over the Tibetan Plateau," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(9), pages 801-807, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:afa:wpaper:aesri-2021-02 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Wang, Zongxia & Liu, Suxia, 2025. "Double disaggregation of the decline of terrestrial water storage for a highly cultivated dryland partially covered by glaciers," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    3. Hongmin An & Cunde Xiao & Minghu Ding, 2019. "The Spatial Pattern of Ski Areas and Its Driving Factors in China: A Strategy for Healthy Development of the Ski Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-22, June.
    4. repec:afa:wpaper:aesriwp02 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2021. "Is export-led growth hypothesis still valid for sub-Saharan African countries? New evidence from panel data analysis," European Journal of Management and Business Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(1), pages 77-93, April.
    6. Zhu, Zichun & Fu, Congsheng & Wu, Huawu & Wu, Haohao & Zhang, Haixia & Cao, Yang & Xia, Ye, 2023. "What influences does grazing bring about to stream nutrient fluxes in alpine meadows?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    7. Kalaitzi Athanasia Stylianou & Kherfi Samer & Alrousan Sahel & Katsaiti Marina-Selini, 2022. "Are Non-Primary Exports the Source for Further Economic Growth in the UAE?," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 18(1), pages 29-51, April.
    8. Jinxin Zhu & Xuerou Weng & Bing Guo & Xueting Zeng & Cong Dong, 2023. "Investigating Extreme Snowfall Changes in China Based on an Ensemble of High-Resolution Regional Climate Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, February.
    9. Bakari, Sayef & Khalfallah, Sirine & Zidi, Ahmed, 2021. "The Determinants of Agricultural Exports: Empirical Validation for the Case of Tunisia," International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics (IJFAEC), Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Department of Economics and Finance, vol. 9(3), October.
    10. Ruiwen Zhang & Chengyi Zhao & Xiaofei Ma & Karthikeyan Brindha & Qifei Han & Chaofan Li & Xiaoning Zhao, 2019. "Projected Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Drought under Global Warming in Central Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-19, August.
    11. Bakari, Sayef, 2024. "Causality between Domestic Investment and Economic Growth: New Evidence from Argentina," MPRA Paper 121799, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Haiting Gu & Yue-Ping Xu & Li Liu & Jingkai Xie & Lu Wang & Suli Pan & Yuxue Guo, 2023. "Seasonal catchment memory of high mountain rivers in the Tibetan Plateau," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Wang, Xu & Yang, Jilin & Wang, Jie & Yang, Tong & Chang, Chuchen & Zhao, Yanbo & Wu, Xiaocui & Zhang, Geli & Xiao, Xiangming, 2025. "Physiological changes induced by green fodder expansion into grasslands and croplands enhance water-use efficiency in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    14. Lisa Holsinger & Robert Keane & Daniel Isaak & Lisa Eby & Michael Young, 2014. "Relative effects of climate change and wildfires on stream temperatures: a simulation modeling approach in a Rocky Mountain watershed," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 191-206, May.
    15. Nicholas M. Odhiambo, "undated". "Is Export-Led Growth Hypothesis Still Valid For Sub-Saharan African Countries? New Evidence From Panel Data Analysis," Working Papers AESRI01, African Economic and Social Research Institute (AESRI).
    16. Ankit CHHIKARA & Laurel PASRICHA, 2021. "Causal relationship between agricultural exports and economic growth: a diagnostic approach," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(2(627), S), pages 33-44, Summer.
    17. Nesrine Gafsi & Sayef Bakari, 2024. "Impacts of Agricultural CO2 Emissions, Agricultural Exports and Financial Development on Economic Growth: Insights from East Asia and Pacific Countries," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 14(6), pages 136-153, November.
    18. Yenan Wu & Di Long & Upmanu Lall & Bridget R. Scanlon & Fuqiang Tian & Xudong Fu & Jianshi Zhao & Jianyun Zhang & Hao Wang & Chunhong Hu, 2022. "Reconstructed eight-century streamflow in the Tibetan Plateau reveals contrasting regional variability and strong nonstationarity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    19. Zhili Wang & Yadong Lei & Huizheng Che & Bo Wu & Xiaoye Zhang, 2024. "Aerosol forcing regulating recent decadal change of summer water vapor budget over the Tibetan Plateau," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    20. Lu, Xiaoyao & Zou, Minzhong & Gan, Gary & Kang, Shaozhong, 2025. "Excessive irrigation-driven greening has triggered water shortages and compromised sustainability," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    21. Odhiambo, Nicholas M, 2021. "A test of exports-led growth hypothesis in Sub-Saharan African countries: Evidence from panel data analysis," Working Papers 27170, University of South Africa, Department of Economics.
    22. Huping Wang & Zhao Wang & Haikui Yin & Chao Jin & Xiaogang Zhang & Langtao Liu, 2023. "CO 2 Flow Characteristics in Macro-Scale Coal Sample: Effect of CO 2 Injection Pressure and Buried Depth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:308:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425000204. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.