Original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Abstract Riverine sediment flux on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau follows separate trends in different headwater basins because of complicated pathways under global warming. Here we successfully reconstructed historical sediment fluxes from seven pathways at 25 hydrological stations during 1982 ~ 2022 us...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02075-w |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823861598785110016 |
|---|---|
| author | Jinhao Guo Yao Yue Wenxin Huai Xia Yan Alistair G. L. Borthwick Yuanfang Chai Shuolin Li Zhiwei Li Yichu Wang Chiyuan Miao Zhonghua Yang |
| author_facet | Jinhao Guo Yao Yue Wenxin Huai Xia Yan Alistair G. L. Borthwick Yuanfang Chai Shuolin Li Zhiwei Li Yichu Wang Chiyuan Miao Zhonghua Yang |
| author_sort | Jinhao Guo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Riverine sediment flux on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau follows separate trends in different headwater basins because of complicated pathways under global warming. Here we successfully reconstructed historical sediment fluxes from seven pathways at 25 hydrological stations during 1982 ~ 2022 using a conceptual Multivariate Climate Elasticity Model based on Taylor expansion and revealed the bifurcation in sediment flux trend. Significantly increasing trends occurred at five stations, caused either by elevated runoff from increased precipitation (contributing -10 ~ 50%) or by temperature modifying the underlying surface (-12 ~ 100%). Significantly decreasing trends were found at six stations, primarily owing to vegetation expansion (11 ~ 100%). Combinations of original vegetation condition and increasing rate of precipitation are pivotal for bifurcating the sediment flux trend. In the future, slowly increasing precipitation with greatly increasing temperature or poor original vegetation condition followed by rapid vegetation expansion may decelerate sediment yield, whereas rapidly increasing precipitation may overwhelm the marginal conservation effect of plentiful vegetation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dc95f66cd20b4e5b92e4c1746d9023d3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-dc95f66cd20b4e5b92e4c1746d9023d32025-02-09T12:55:57ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-02-016111010.1038/s43247-025-02075-wOriginal vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet PlateauJinhao Guo0Yao Yue1Wenxin Huai2Xia Yan3Alistair G. L. Borthwick4Yuanfang Chai5Shuolin Li6Zhiwei Li7Yichu Wang8Chiyuan Miao9Zhonghua Yang10State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan UniversityState Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan UniversityState Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan UniversityChangjiang River Scientific Research InstituteInstitute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, The King’s BuildingsState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal UniversityData Science Institute, Columbia UniversityState Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan UniversityCollege of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan UniversityAbstract Riverine sediment flux on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau follows separate trends in different headwater basins because of complicated pathways under global warming. Here we successfully reconstructed historical sediment fluxes from seven pathways at 25 hydrological stations during 1982 ~ 2022 using a conceptual Multivariate Climate Elasticity Model based on Taylor expansion and revealed the bifurcation in sediment flux trend. Significantly increasing trends occurred at five stations, caused either by elevated runoff from increased precipitation (contributing -10 ~ 50%) or by temperature modifying the underlying surface (-12 ~ 100%). Significantly decreasing trends were found at six stations, primarily owing to vegetation expansion (11 ~ 100%). Combinations of original vegetation condition and increasing rate of precipitation are pivotal for bifurcating the sediment flux trend. In the future, slowly increasing precipitation with greatly increasing temperature or poor original vegetation condition followed by rapid vegetation expansion may decelerate sediment yield, whereas rapidly increasing precipitation may overwhelm the marginal conservation effect of plentiful vegetation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02075-w |
| spellingShingle | Jinhao Guo Yao Yue Wenxin Huai Xia Yan Alistair G. L. Borthwick Yuanfang Chai Shuolin Li Zhiwei Li Yichu Wang Chiyuan Miao Zhonghua Yang Original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_full | Original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_short | Original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_sort | original vegetation condition and precipitation growth rate bifurcate sediment flux trend on the qinghai tibet plateau |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02075-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jinhaoguo originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT yaoyue originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT wenxinhuai originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT xiayan originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT alistairglborthwick originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT yuanfangchai originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT shuolinli originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT zhiweili originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT yichuwang originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT chiyuanmiao originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau AT zhonghuayang originalvegetationconditionandprecipitationgrowthratebifurcatesedimentfluxtrendontheqinghaitibetplateau |