title: Simulating spatiotemporal dynamics of sichuan grassland net primary productivity using the CASA model and in situ observations.
abstract: Net primary productivity (NPP) is an important indicator for grassland resource management and sustainable development. In this paper, the NPP of Sichuan grasslands was estimated by the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model. The results were validated with in situ data. The overall precision reached 70%; alpine meadow had the highest precision at greater than 75%, among the three types of grasslands validated. The spatial and temporal variations of Sichuan grasslands were analyzed. The absorbed photosynthetic active radiation (APAR), light use efficiency (ε), and NPP of Sichuan grasslands peaked in August, which was a vigorous growth period during 2011. High values of APAR existed in the southwest regions in altitudes from 2000 m to 4000 m. Light use efficiency (ε) varied in the different types of grasslands. The Sichuan grassland NPP was mainly distributed in the region of 3000-5000 m altitude. The NPP of alpine meadow accounted for 50% of the total NPP of Sichuan grasslands.
authors.affiliation: Sichuan Grassland General Work Station, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Chuanjiang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Xinyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Jingying
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2748-1361
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Sichuan Grassland General Work Station, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Xinyue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Sichuan Grassland General Work Station, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D062305:Geographic Mapping; D065948:Grassland; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013997:Time Factors