ON the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Chinese scientists recently discovered the phenological dynamics of wetland vegetation in response to climate change.

The study, led by researchers from Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of Chinese Academy of Sciences, was recently published on the journal Global Change Biology.

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, which holds 20% of China’s wetlands, plays a critical role to the regional carbon cycle.

In this study, the researchers used satellite-derived data and observational climate data to investigate the impact of climate change on the end of the growing season (EOS) of marsh wetland vegetation across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2001 to 2020.

Over a 20-year period, they discovered that the regionally averaged EOS of marsh vegetation was significantly delayed by 4.1 days every decade. Researchers found that increasing preseason temperatures were the primary cause of the delay in the EOS of marsh vegetation, while preseason cumulative precipitation had little effect.(Xinhua)