In this paper,10-day spatio-temporal response of vegetation to the change of temperature and precipitation in spring,summer,autumn and whole year during the period of 1998―2009 was analyzed based on the data of SPOT VEGETATION-NDVI and 10-day average temperature or precipitation from 54 meteorological stations in Xinjiang.The results show that the response of 10-day NDVI to temperature was more significant than that to precipitation,and the maximal response of vegetation to temperature and precipitation lagged for two 10-day periods.Seasonally,the effect of temperature and precipitation on vegetation NDVI was most marked in autumn,then in spring,and it was not significant in summer.The response of vegetation to 10-day change of meteorological factors was positive with a long affecting duration in spring,and it had a relatively short affecting duration in autumn and summer.Spatially,the 10-day maximal response of NDVI to temperature in northern Xinjiang was higher than that in southern Xinjiang.The correlation between the 10-day NDVI in whole year and the temperature in the 0-8th 10-day period was significantly higher than that between the annual NDVI and the annual temperature at all meteorological stations;the interannual change of NDVI was accordant well with the change of annual precipitation.However,the effect of precipitation within a year on NDVI was not strong.The results indicated that interannual change of temperature was not the dominant factor affecting the change of vegetation NDVI in Xinjiang,but the decrease of annual precipitation was the main factor resulting in the fluctuation of vegetation coverage.Ten-day average temperature was an important factor to promote vegetation growth in Xinjiang within a year,but the effect of precipitation on vegetation growth within a year was not strong.
In this study, the relationship between land use and cover change (LUCC) and variation of groundwater level and quality in the Sangong Oasis Region was investigated using a spatial geostatistical approach. Specifically, interactions among groundwater, surface water, and LUCC were analyzed through the utilization of geographical information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS) Imagery processing, and geostatistics. Study outputs indicated that recharging into the groundwater did not change significantly during the period from 1978 to 1998. However, both LUCC and groundwater level changed substantially in the Sangong Oasis Region, and their variations were closely correlated to each other spatially and temporally over the past two decades. It confirmed that urbanization process and increased industrial activities were the direct reasons of groundwater table descending and the deterioration of water quality. The results of this research provided a scientific basis for understanding sustainability-related problems and solution options in the oasis areas of western China.
Accurate inversion of land surface evapotranspiration （ET） in arid areas is of great significance for understanding global eco-hydrological process and exploring the spatio-temporal variation and ecological response of water resources. It is also important in the functional evaluation of regional water cycle and water balance, as well as the rational allocation and management of water resources. This study, based on model validation analysis at varied scales in fiwe Central Asian countries and China＇s Xinjiang, developed an appropriate approach for ET inversion in arid lands. The actual ET during growing seasons of the study area was defined, and the changes in water participating in evaporation in regional water cycle were then educed. The results show the simulation error of SEBS （Surface Energy Balance System） model under cloud amount consideration was 1.34% at 30-m spatial scale, 2.75% at 1-km spatial scale and 6,37% at 4-kin spatial scale. ET inversion for 1980-2007 applying SEBS model in the study area indicates： （1） the evaporation depth （May-September） by land types descends in the order of waters （660.24 ram） 〉 cultivated land （464.66 mm） 〉 woodland （388.44 mm） 〉 urbanized land （168.16 mm） 〉 grassland （160.48 mm） 〉 unused land （83.08 mm）; and （2） ET during the 2005 growing season in Xinjiang and Central Asia was 2,168.68x108 m3 （with an evaporation/precipitation ratio of 1.05） and 9,741.03x108 m3 （with an evaporation/precipitation ratio of 1.4）, respectively. The results unveiled the spatio-temporal variation rules of ET process in arid areas, providing a reference for further research on the water cycle and water balance in similar arid regions.
