Keke Fan, Qiang Zhang, Vijay P. Singh, Peng Sun, Changqing Song, Xiudi Zhu, Huiqian Yu, Zexi Shen [Keke Fan, Qiang Zhang, Changqing Song, Xiudi Zhu, Huiqian Yu, Zexi Shen]. Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. [Keke Fan, Qiang Zhang, Changqing Song, Xiudi Zhu, Huiqian Yu, Zexi Shen]. Faculty of Geographical Science, Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. [Keke Fan, Qiang Zhang, Changqing Song, Xiudi Zhu, Huiqian Yu, Zexi Shen]. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. [Vijay P. Singh]. Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. [Peng Sun]. College of Territory Resources and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Anhui 241000, China

        Abstract: The Himalayan Tibet Plateau (HTP) is the third pole of the globe, being highly sensitive to global climate change. Therefore, the hydrothermal properties of the HTP mean much for the water cycle of the HTP and for climate changes as well in its surrounding regions. Using the NCEP-CFSR dataset, this study investigated spatiotemporal pattern of soil moisture (SM) during different seasons considering vegetation types. In addition, analyzed are the responses and coupling of SM against evaporation fraction (EF), and impacts of SM on air temperature through evapotranspiration. Results showed that: (1) the spatial distribution of the SM across the HTP is basically persistent during different seasons. A decreasing SM trend is observed from the southeastern to the northwestern HTP. Further, the results of this study indicated a drying tendency in the wet regions and a wetting tendency in the dry regions; (2) the majority of the HTP regions were dominated by transitional SM conditions. Persistent transitional SM conditions can be identified in the Himalayas and the southeastern HTP, while a persistent SM deficit in the Qaidam basin; (3) the sensitivity of the EF responses to temperature changes is the strongest during spring and summer seasons. Moreover, the spatial distribution of sensitivity is highly consistent with the vegetation regionalization, indicating remarkable impacts of vegetation types on the sensitivity of the EF to temperature changes during summer season.

       Published in Science of Total Environment, 2018,

       DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.399.