Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing Season

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) holds massive freshwater resources and is one of the most active regions in the world with respect to the hydrological cycle. Soil moisture (SM) plays a critical role in hydrological processes and is important for plant growth and ecosystem stability. To investigate t...

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Main Authors: Qingyan Xie, Jianping Li, Yufei Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-01-01
Series:Advances in Meteorology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4918945
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author Qingyan Xie
Jianping Li
Yufei Zhao
author_facet Qingyan Xie
Jianping Li
Yufei Zhao
author_sort Qingyan Xie
collection DOAJ
description The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) holds massive freshwater resources and is one of the most active regions in the world with respect to the hydrological cycle. Soil moisture (SM) plays a critical role in hydrological processes and is important for plant growth and ecosystem stability. To investigate the relationship between climatic factors (air temperature and precipitation) and SM during the growing season in various climate zones on the QTP, data from three observational stations were analyzed. The results showed that the daily average (Tave) and minimum air temperatures (Tmin) significantly influenced SM levels at all depths analyzed (i.e., 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm deep) at the three stations, and Tmin had a stronger effect on SM than did Tave. However, the daily maximum air temperature (Tmax) generally had little effect on SM, although it had showed some effects on SM in the middle and deeper layers at the Jiali station. Precipitation was an important factor that significantly influenced the SM at all depths at the three stations, but the influence on SM in the middle and deep layers lagged the direct effect on near-surface SM by 5–7 days. These results suggest that environment characterized by lower temperatures and higher precipitation may promote SM conservation during the growing season and in turn support ecosystem stability on the QTP.
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spelling doaj-art-e16f4fc889114d2eb22e4f26e3e057e72025-02-03T01:01:54ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172020-01-01202010.1155/2020/49189454918945Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing SeasonQingyan Xie0Jianping Li1Yufei Zhao2College of Global Change and Earth System Sciences (GCESS), Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, ChinaFrontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES), Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography, Institute for Advanced Ocean Studies, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, ChinaNational Meteorological Information Centre, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, ChinaThe Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) holds massive freshwater resources and is one of the most active regions in the world with respect to the hydrological cycle. Soil moisture (SM) plays a critical role in hydrological processes and is important for plant growth and ecosystem stability. To investigate the relationship between climatic factors (air temperature and precipitation) and SM during the growing season in various climate zones on the QTP, data from three observational stations were analyzed. The results showed that the daily average (Tave) and minimum air temperatures (Tmin) significantly influenced SM levels at all depths analyzed (i.e., 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm deep) at the three stations, and Tmin had a stronger effect on SM than did Tave. However, the daily maximum air temperature (Tmax) generally had little effect on SM, although it had showed some effects on SM in the middle and deeper layers at the Jiali station. Precipitation was an important factor that significantly influenced the SM at all depths at the three stations, but the influence on SM in the middle and deep layers lagged the direct effect on near-surface SM by 5–7 days. These results suggest that environment characterized by lower temperatures and higher precipitation may promote SM conservation during the growing season and in turn support ecosystem stability on the QTP.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4918945
spellingShingle Qingyan Xie
Jianping Li
Yufei Zhao
Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing Season
Advances in Meteorology
title Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing Season
title_full Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing Season
title_fullStr Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing Season
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing Season
title_short Effects of Air Temperature and Precipitation on Soil Moisture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the 2015 Growing Season
title_sort effects of air temperature and precipitation on soil moisture on the qinghai tibet plateau during the 2015 growing season
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/4918945
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AT jianpingli effectsofairtemperatureandprecipitationonsoilmoistureontheqinghaitibetplateauduringthe2015growingseason
AT yufeizhao effectsofairtemperatureandprecipitationonsoilmoistureontheqinghaitibetplateauduringthe2015growingseason