Vegetation Greening Promoted the Precipitation Recycling Process in Xinjiang

Under the combined influences of climate and vegetation change, land–atmosphere interactions have enhanced, and precipitation recycling is an important part of this. Previous studies of the precipitation recycling process have focused on calculating the precipitation recycling rate (PRR) and analyzing the influencing factors. However, the climate-driven and vegetation-induced precipitation recycling process variations were not quantified. This study has systematically examined the precipitation recycling process in a typical arid region using the Eltahir and Bras model, random forest algorithm, and partial least-squares structural equation modeling. During 1982–2018, the leaf area index (LAI) and evapotranspiration (ET) rate both increased significantly, with growth rates of 0.06 m2m−2/decade and 13.99 mm/decade, respectively. At the same time, the average PRR in Xinjiang was 13.92% and experienced significant growth at a rate of 1.28%/decade. The climate-driven and vegetation-induced PRR variations were quantified, which contributed 79.12% and 20.88%, respectively. In addition, the positive effects of both of these on PRR variations through ET did not increase with the increase in ET, but rather decreased sharply and then stabilized. This study can provide favorable theoretical support for mitigating the contradiction in water use and balancing economic development and ecological security by quantifying the regulation of precipitation by vegetation.