2025-10-01 CATENA 2025 258(卷), null(期), (null页)
The Loess Plateau (LP) has been recognized as a significant hotspot for vegetation greening in China since 2000. However, the influence of vegetation greening driven by various factors on carbon sinks in changing environments remains unclear due to the lack of high-precision datasets on carbon stock changes and effective attribution analysis methods. In this study, a time-series dataset of vegetation total carbon density (VTCD), soil organic carbon density (SOCD), and ecosystem total carbon density (ETCD) in the LP was estimated using a combination of multi-source data and machine learning algorithms. The impact of vegetation greening on carbon sinks was further decomposed by considering the effects of climate change and human activities on vegetation dynamics. Our findings indicate that the Extra Trees Regressor performs best in estimating VTCD (RMSE = 0.42 kgC m-2) and SOCD (RMSE = 2 kgC m-2). Across the entire landscape, the average carbon sequestration rate (CSR) is 37 gC center dot m-2 center dot a-1, comprising 26 gC center dot m-2 center dot a-1 from soil and 11 gC center dot m-2 center dot a-1 from vegetation. The highest CSR is found in naturally restored forests (55.26 gC center dot m-2 center dot a-1), followed by grassland converted to forest (G-F) at 50 gC center dot m-2 center dot a-1, and cropland converted to forest and grassland (C-Fg) at 38.23 gC center dot m-2 center dot a-1. Compared to natural recovery areas, human-induced restoration demonstrates a significant carbon sink benefit (70 %-303 %), exhibiting distinct spatial heterogeneity. The direct impact of climatic factors on carbon sinks is 3.44 gC center dot m-2 center dot a-1, contributing 9.3 % to the overall carbon sink. Vegetation greening accounts for 83.4 % of the carbon sink, with contributions of 44.5 % from climate-driven natural recovery, 24.7 % from cultivation management, and 14.2 % from human-induced vegetation type change. Additionally, the positive impacts of other human activities (e.g., terracing, check dams) on carbon sinks should not be overlooked. This study provides new insights into the effects of climate change and human activities on carbon sinks in the Loess Plateau.