Quantifying Drought Resistance of Drylands in Northern China from 1982 to 2015: Regional Disparity in Drought Resistance

Drylands are expected to be affected by greater global drought variability in the future; consequently, how dryland ecosystems respond events needs urgent attention. In this study, Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Standardized Precipitation Evaporation (SPEI) were employed quantify resistance of ecosystem productivity drylands northern China between 1982 2015. The relationships temporal trends characteristics, which included length, severity, interval, examined. responded greatest those length was most sensitive had strongest negative effect with respect resistance. Resistance decreased increasing did not recover decreasing hyper-arid regions after 2004, but arid semi-arid from 2004 dry sub-humid 1997. We reason that regional differences may result seed bank compensatory effects plant species under events. particular, study implies is vulnerable events, drought–resistance drought–recovery interactions likely abnormally or even shift ongoing change.