Study on response of ecosystem to the East Asian monsoon in eastern China using LAI data derived from remote sensing information

Abstract Based on the leaf area index (LAI) data derived from remote sensing information and eco-climate data, the responses of regional ecosystem variations in seasonal and interannual scales to the East Asian monsoon are studied. It is found that the vegetation ecosystems of eastern China are remarkably correlated with the East Asian monsoon in seasonal and interannual scales. In the seasonal timescale, the obvious variations of the vegetation ecosystems occur with the development of the East Asian monsoon from the south in the spring to the north in the autumn. In the interannual scale, high LAI appears in the strong East Asian monsoon year, whereas low LAI is related to the weak East Asian monsoon year. These further lead to the characteristic of “monsoon-driven ecosystem” in the eastern China monsoon region, which can be revealed by LAI.