Temporal Dynamics of Fractional Vegetation Cover in the Yellow River Basin: A Comprehensive Analysis

The spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation and its influencing factors is crucial for understanding the relationship between vegetation and climate change, which helps guide the management of regional ecosystems effectively. Utilizing the Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) data and various meteorological elements from 1982 to 2021, this research employed methodologies, such as grey relational analysis, path analysis, and the time-lag effect, to examine the impact of climate change on FVC fluctuations. It introduced a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of the multi-factor climate–vegetation relationship, enhancing the understanding of the interaction between the climate and vegetation growth. The findings indicate that 77.41% of the wetland vegetation cover in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) has significantly decreased. Precipitation and evapotranspiration emerged as the primary factors affecting FVC, with soil moisture and temperature having a lesser impact. Given the crucial influence of climate factors’ time lag on vegetation dynamics, especially the notable cumulative lag effects observed in arid regions, such as precipitation accumulating over approximately 1.963 months (on average) and evapotranspiration lagging by about 1.727 months (on average), this study offers valuable theoretical insights on vegetation restoration efforts amidst the challenges posed by climate change.