College of Hydraulic and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China.
Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Security and Water Disasters Prevention, Urumqi, China.
PeerJ. 2024 Oct 28;12:e18368. doi: 10.7717/peerj.18368. eCollection 2024.
Changes in the ecological environment quality (EEQ) in the main inland Tarim River Basin in China substantially impact the regional development. Indeed, comprehensive ecological environment measures have been implemented in the Tarim River Basin since 2000. In this context, the main objective of the present study was to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of the EEQ and monitor the effectiveness of ecological restoration measures in the Tarim River Basin over the 2000-2020 period using remote sensing data. First, a Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) was constructed based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer remote sensing data. Second, the spatial distributions and factors of the RSEI were analyzed by using Moran's Index and Geodetector. The results indicated that the overall RSEI values for the Tarim River Basin increased from 0.22 in 2000 to 0.25 in 2020. Moreover, the values for areas with poor EEQ decreased from 50.7% to 44.73%, while those with moderate EEQ increased from 11.45% to 16.91%. Therefore, the results demonstrated a slight overall improvement in the EEQ of the study area over the 2000-2020 period. On the other hand, the EEQ in the Tarim River Basin exhibited a significant spatial autocorrelation in the 2000-2020 period, with a relatively stable overall spatial distribution. Areas with high-high aggregation were distributed in the high-elevation mountainous areas in the western, northern, and southern parts of the study area. In contrast, areas with low-low aggregation were observed in the central and eastern low-elevation desert areas. The EEQ in the Tarim River Basin was driven by the interactions of several factors, including the normalized difference vegetation index, land surface moisture, land surface temperature, normalized differential build-up and bare soil index, and elevation. In particular, heat was the main driving factor that severely impacted the EEQ in the study area. Indeed, increase in the heat values could directly enhance meltwater runoff from glaciers in the basin, thereby resulting in short-term improvement in the basin EEQ. Furthermore, rapid urbanization from 2015 to 2020 resulted in a decrease in the average RSEI value of the Tarim River Basin by 0.1 over this period, consequently, the EEQ level decreased slightly. Briefly, the EEQ in the Tarim River Basin showed an overall increasing trend from 2000 to 2020, further demonstrating the effectiveness of a series of implemented ecological restoration measures in the Tarim River Basin over this period.
中国内陆塔里木河流域生态环境质量（EEQ）的变化对区域发展有重大影响。实际上，自 2000 年以来，塔里木河流域已经实施了综合生态环境措施。在此背景下，本研究的主要目的是利用遥感数据，调查 2000-2020 年期间塔里木河流域 EEQ 的时空演变，并监测生态恢复措施的有效性。首先，基于中分辨率成像光谱仪（MODIS）遥感数据构建了遥感生态指数（RSEI）。其次，利用 Moran 指数和地理探测器分析了 RSEI 的空间分布和影响因素。结果表明，塔里木河流域的整体 RSEI 值从 2000 年的 0.22 增加到 2020 年的 0.25。此外，EEQ 较差地区的面积从 50.7%减少到 44.73%，而 EEQ 中等地区的面积从 11.45%增加到 16.91%。因此，研究结果表明，2000-2020 年期间，研究区的 EEQ 整体略有改善。另一方面，塔里木河流域的 EEQ 在 2000-2020 年期间具有显著的空间自相关，整体空间分布较为稳定。高-高聚集区分布在研究区西部、北部和南部的高海拔山区。相反，低-低聚集区分布在研究区中部和东部的低海拔沙漠地区。驱动塔里木河流域 EEQ 的因素有多种，包括归一化植被指数、地表湿度、地表温度、归一化差分建筑指数和裸土指数以及海拔。特别是，热量是严重影响研究区 EEQ 的主要驱动因素。实际上，热量值的增加会直接增强流域内冰川的融水径流，从而导致流域 EEQ 的短期改善。此外，2015 年至 2020 年期间的快速城市化导致塔里木河流域的平均 RSEI 值在此期间下降了 0.1，因此 EEQ 水平略有下降。总之，2000-2020 年塔里木河流域 EEQ 呈总体上升趋势，进一步证明了该时期塔里木河流域实施的一系列生态恢复措施的有效性。
