Research on the Establishment of Carbon Inversion Model in Engebei Ecological Demonstration Area of the Kubuqi Desert Based on Remote Sensing Data

Studying the changes of vegetation coverage and carbon storage in a terrestrial ecosystem will provide important information for ecosystem optimization. The Kubuqi Desert is a typical ecological fragile area, and its ecological construction is not only to build an ecological barrier to protect northern China but also to be a case of similar regions in the world. Engebei ecological demonstration area, located on the northern margin of the central Kubuqi Desert, was selected as the study area. The objective is to establish a carbon inversion model through the LASSO regression model in this area which can promote its ecological development. Taking Landsat, Sentinel-2A remote sensing data, and field sample data as data sources. The vegetation coverage was calculated through the remote sensing data. The carbon reserves in plots were calculated through the biomass equation. Then, the appropriate carbon storage estimation model was found, which was established by the LASSO regression model and the Sentinel-2A remote sensing images. Finally, the carbon reserves over the years were calculated by this estimation model. Research shows that: first, the overall vegetation coverage of the study area was not high, which was around 27%–37%; second, the proportion of lower (I) level vegetation coverage in the study area decreased overall, and the proportion of higher (V) level vegetation coverage generally stabilized; third, carbon reserves remain roughly above 71752.64t, up by 20,209.61t in 2021 compared to 2020, and up by 14,867.02t in 2021 compared to 1991.