InVEST Model-Based Estimation of Water Yield in North China and Its Sensitivities to Climate Variables

Guodong Yin, Xiao Wang, Xuan Zhang, Yongshuo Fu, Fanghua Hao, Qiuhong Hu
2020 Water  
A revegetation program in North China could potentially increase carbon sequestration and mitigate climate change. However, the responses of water yield ecosystem services to climate factors are still unclear among different vegetation types, which is critically important to select appropriate species for revegetation. Based on the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, we estimated the temporal variations and associated factors in water yield ecosystem
more » ... in North China. The result showed that the InVEST model performed well in water yield estimation (R2 = 0.93), and thus can be successfully applied across the study area. The total water yield across North China is 6.19 × 1010 m3/year, with a mean water yield (MWY) of 47.15 mm/year. A large spatial difference in the MWY was found, which is strongly related to temperature, precipitation, and land use types. The responses of the MWY to mean annual precipitation (MAP) are closely tied to temperature conditions in forests and grasslands. The sensitivities of the MWY to climate variables indicated that temperature fluctuation had a positive influence on the forest MWY in humid regions, and the influence of precipitation on grassland water yield was enhanced in warmer regions. We suggest shrub and grass would be more suitable revegetation programs to improve water yield capacity, and that climate warming might increase the water yield of forests and grasslands in humid regions in North China.
doi:10.3390/w12061692 fatcat:42sfhanm6vcofjca5gsz4inxqa