风电场对草地植被生长影响分析——以内蒙古灰腾梁风电场为例

利用2000~2014年的MOD13Q1-NDVI数据,对内蒙古灰腾梁风电场及该电厂50 km缓冲区内的植被生长情况进行了分析。结合气象数据,重点探讨了风向对植被生长的影响。与2000~2008年风电场建设完成前植被生长相比,2008年后风电场运行对植被的生长产生了明显的影响,但影响范围和强度是不均匀的,结果表明：① 风电场运行对风电场区域内/外植被的影响机制是不同的,风电场区域内不利于植被的生长,而上/下风区域却有利于植被的生长;② 相对于风电场建成前,风电场建成后的2008 ~2014年缓冲区和风电场区域植被恢复比例分别上升了26.66%和13.14%,但上风区域却上升了51.83%,下风区域上升了41.07%。可见风电场上/下风区植被恢复比例,尤其是上风区植被的恢复比例要远高于其它区域;③ 距离风电场中心30~40 km的上风区很可能是受风电场影响最为明显的区域。

Effects of Wind Farms on Grassland Vegetation: A Case Study of Huitengliang Wind Farm,Inner Mongolia

With increasing environmental problems and a growing shortage of energy resources, wind as a renewable energy source is increasing in attention from various sectors. Currently, China′s energy policies are gradually turning to utilizing wind energy. Although there are many positive environmental benefits that wind energy provides, researchers around the world have recently begun to investigate environmental negative effects of wind energy development, and they are identifying the pros and cons of wind energy. Current investigations largely focus on vegetation, soil and animal disturbance due to wind farm construction, as well as focusing on possible impacts to the surrounding land surface temperature and local climate change. Existing research indicates that in wind farm areas both near-surface air humidity and surface sensible heat flux decrease. These changes can indirectly change meteorological elements, for example cloud cover and precipitation. The construction and operation of wind farms significantly reduces wind speed in the leeward direction which affects local air temperatures (both increasing and decreasing temperatures). These elements could have an impact on the growth state of local vegetation. In this article, remote sensing techniques are used to investigate the scope and impact intensity of the Huitengliang wind farm, Inner Mongolia, on local vegetation. This investigation will provide a reference for wind farm construction, conservation and restoration of vegetation and environmental improvement. Utilizing MOD13Q1-NDVI data in 2000-2014, vegetation change in a 50 km buffer area around the Huitengliang wind farm, Inner Mongolia, was analyzed. Combining meteorological data in this analysis, the impact of wind direction on vegetation growth was discussed. Compared with the construction phase (2000-2008), the operation phase (2008-2014) has a more obvious impact on the growth of vegetation. However, the results showed that vegetation impact was uneven: 1) The influencing mechanisms of a wind farm on vegetation differ within and outside of the farm area. Within the wind farm area, the wind farm is not conducive to vegetation growth, while it is helpful to vegetation growth in windward/leeward area; 2) Compared with the wind farm construction stage, the proportion of vegetation restoration in the buffer area and the farm area during the operational phase of the wind farm increased by 26.66% and 13.14%, respectively. The proportion of vegetation restoration in the windward and leeward areas, however, increased by 51.83% and 41.07%, respectively, over the same time period. This indicates that the proportion of vegetation restoration in the windward/leeward areas, especially in the windward area, is much higher than in the buffer or farm areas; 3) A zone 30-40 km from the center of the wind farm, on the windward side, is likely to be the area of greatest vegetation impact from the wind farm.