Spatial and Temporal Changes of Vegetation Coverage and Influencing Factors in Hulun Buir Grassland During 2000-2016

Reassessment of the relationship between the regional vegetation coverage and the climate change has been the focus of concern for vegetation response to climate change. The spatial and interannual dynamics of vegetation in Hulun Buir grassland from 2000 to 2016 were explored and its driving effects from the climate factors were discussed based on the vegetation index and pixel dichotomy model. It has been found that (1) The average vegetation coverage of Hulun Buir grassland was 0.51 during the period from 2000 to 2016, and the grassland was covered dominantly with medium and low vegetation coverage decreasd from east to west. (2) The vegetation coverage of the grassland declined from 2000 to 2016, and 52.79% of the grassland vegetation coverage tended to deteriorate mostly in the western part of Hailaer, Ewenki Banner and middle part of Xinbaerhu. By contrast, 47.21% of grassland tended to be covered more by vegetation coverage to in the western and eastern of Hulun Buir grassland, especially in western part of Xinbaerhu. (3) Spatially, Hulun Buir grassland degenerated from the middle east to the west. (4) The inter-annual changes of vegetation coverage was closely related to precipitation with the correlation coefficient of 0.17.