Temporal and Spatial Changes of Land Use in Xining and Effects on Climate Change Under the Background of Ecological Restoration Project

Ecological restoration project is an important measure to improve the ecological environment. Since 1989, Xining City of Qinghai Province had vigorously implemented the “greening project of the North and South Mountains”, and its land use had undergone great changes, which has influenced the local climate. The land use data of 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2018 were selected. Based on the analysis of the characteristics of land use change in Xining, WRF model was used to simulate and analyze the climate impact of land use change in ecological restoration project. The results showed that the highest rate of land use change was mixed forest and farmland. The farmland area decreased by 152 km~2 from 1989 to 2018, while the mixed forest increased from 4 km~2 in 1989 to 83 km~2 in 2018. In addition, the effect of “greening project” on surface temperature and air temperature cooling had seasonal differences, and the maximum reduction of wind speed could reach 0.56 m/s. This study can provide reference for the development of ecological environment engineering in ecologically fragile areas.