Analysis of spatiotemporal changes of carbon storage by land use change in the Weihe River Basin based on InVEST model

Land use changes directly result in alterations to land cover, which significantly impacts carbon storage. Delving deeply into how land use changes drive the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon storage is crucial for bolstering the carbon sequestration capacity of terrestrial ecosystems, effectively mitigating the effects of climate warming, and advancing the ambitious objectives of carbon peak and neutrality. This study employed geographic information system software to analyze the transformations and changes in land use types within the Wei River Basin from 2000 to 2020. Utilizing carbon density data from references, the carbon storage and sequestration modules within the InVEST model were employed to estimate how land use type shifts impact carbon storage within the watershed. The findings indicate that (1) The primary land use types in the Wei River Basin are arable land and grassland, collectively occupying approximately 80% of the basin's total area. However, over the past two decades, the proportion of arable land has been declining annually, while the area of construction land has expanded; (2) Carbon storage exhibits a declining trend overall, declining by 777,574.48 mg over 20 years. Analysis of this change indicates that, with the accelerated pace of urbanization, rising population densities have led to a significant conversion of arable land to construction land, which in turn is a primary driver of carbon storage decline; (3) Carbon storage shows an increasing trend with altitude, with forests and grasslands being the primary sources of carbon storage in the Wei River Basin. Rapid urban development in river valley areas has led to a decrease in carbon storage as urban construction expands.