PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 16: Ecological Modeling I.
Presiding: C Ray
Tuesday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 102.

Effect of Qinghai-Xizang plateau on the vegetation distribution in east Asia.

Chen, Xiongwen ^*,1, Zhang, Xinshi¹, Li, Bai-Lian¹, ¹ Department of Botany & Plant Science, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, California, USA

ABSTRACT- Understanding the present vegetation distribution and its interaction with climatic regularity and surface irregularity is important for predicting its future change. In comparison with the rest regions of the world, vegetation distribution in east Asia is unique; but the underlying causes are still not clear. Some researches have indicated that the causes were mainly due to the effect of monsoons; others have suggested that the direct cause was the rising of Qinghai-Xizhang Plateau. Here we constructed a possible vegetation distribution in this area (15 degree N-60 degree N, 60 degree E-150 degree E) with assumption that there was no Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (e.g., its elevation was decreased to 1000 m and roughly equal to its surroundings), using a General Circulation Model and the Holdridge Life Zones System. Our simulations showed that Qinghai-Xizang Plateau did affect the vegetation distribution and patterns in East Asia significantly. If the elevation of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were about 1000 m, the area of warm temperate forest and subtropical forest would increase about 96% and 59%, respectively; cool temperate steppe, alpine meadow and Nival, subnival and frigid desert would be replaced by warm temperate forest and cool temperate forest. The development of warm temperate desert in this area would be largely caused by the rising of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Key words: General Circulation Model, Holdridge Life Zones System, vegetation