Temporal and spatial variations of net primary productivity and its response to groundwater of a typical oasis in the Tarim Basin, China

Net primary productivity (NPP) of the vegetation in an oasis can reflect the productivity capacity of a plant community under natural environmental conditions. Owing to the extreme arid climate conditions and scarce precipitation in the arid oasis regions, groundwater plays a key role in restricting the development of the vegetation. The Qira Oasis is located on the southern margin of the Taklimakan Desert (Tarim Basin, China) that is one of the most vulnerable regions regarding vegetation growth and water scarcity in the world. Based on remote sensing images of the Qira Oasis and daily meteorological data measured by the ground stations during the period 2006–2019, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial patterns of NPP in the oasis as well as its relation with the variation of groundwater depth using a modified Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model. At the spatial scale, NPP of the vegetation decreased from the interior of the Qira Oasis to the margin; at the temporal scale, NPP of the vegetation in the oasis fluctuated significantly (ranging from 29.80 to 50.07 g C/(m2·month)) but generally showed an increasing trend, with the average increase rate of 0.07 g C/(m2·month). The regions with decreasing NPP occupied 64% of the total area of the oasis. During the study period, NPP of both farmland and grassland showed an increasing trend, while that of forest showed a decreasing trend. The depth of groundwater was deep in the south of the oasis and shallow in the north, showing a gradual increasing trend from south to north. Groundwater, as one of the key factors in the surface change and evolution of the arid oasis, determines the succession direction of the vegetation in the Qira Oasis. With the increase of groundwater depth, grassland coverage and vegetation NPP decreased. During the period 2008–2015, with the recovery of groundwater level, NPP values of all types of vegetation with different coverages increased. This study will provide a scientific basis for the rational utilization and sustainable management of groundwater resources in the oasis.