Influences of topography and climate on vegetation distribution over mainland China

Abstract

This study addresses the relationship of vegetation distribution with topography and climate through using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MOD13A1 products. The research data include the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), climate data (such as precipitation, temperature, solar radiation) and topographic data (such as elevation, slope, aspect, topographic index and the distance to the nearest river), and the study period is from 2001 to 2012 (12 years). Using a data mining approach, the EVI data and topographic data, the study separates mainland China into different ecological zones. The result reveals that elevation is the predominant factor in controlling the separation of ecological zones in different months. In different months, the first turning points of the elevation for division of ecological zones are higher in the wet season than those in the dry season. In a growing month (April) and a falling mon...