Delineating treeline dynamics and its impact on carbon storage in Alpine region of Nepal

Delineating treeline dynamics and its impact on carbon storage in Alpine region of Nepal | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Delineating treeline dynamics and its impact on carbon storage in Alpine region of Nepal Badri Bhattarai, Mahendra Singh Thapa, Sandesh Gharti, Rabindra Adhikari, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6525413/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Alpine treeline dynamics significantly influence biodiversity and global carbon cycles, yet their responses to climate change and implications for carbon storage remain under studied in the Himalayas. This research work focuses on delineating the treeline elevation shifts (1993–2023) and their impact on above-ground carbon stocks in Rolwaling Valley, Nepal, using Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA) autocorrelation, and stratified random sampling across 100-m elevation strata. Results showed minimal upward treeline migration (4.56m over 30 years), with average elevation stabilizing at treeline3961.49 ± 18.30 by 2023. The slight upward trend in the NDVI (0.0011 units/year) indicates improved vegetation density over the 30 years in the study area. Above-ground carbon stocks declined significantly with elevation, ranging from 48.33 Mg/ha (3700-3800m) to 40.52 Mg/ha (3900-4000m), equivalent to a loss of 67.84 kg per meter gained. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) prioritization identified forest restoration and silviculture interventions as the most effective measures for enhancing carbon benefits. The study provides actionable insights for aligning ecosystem management in alpine areas with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) -13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land), with a focus on adaptive strategies to enhance carbon sinks in alpine’s warming climate. Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem services Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Forest ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Forestry Climate Change Landsat LISA NDVI Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6525413","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":474702888,"identity":"b90a311b-bb03-4c61-a0e5-28e0335e45d0","order_by":0,"name":"Badri Bhattarai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tribhuvan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Badri","middleName":"","lastName":"Bhattarai","suffix":""},{"id":474702889,"identity":"9c238788-177d-4146-ade8-b20f3a41f6cb","order_by":1,"name":"Mahendra Singh Thapa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tribhuvan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mahendra","middleName":"Singh","lastName":"Thapa","suffix":""},{"id":474702890,"identity":"c2cd4897-633b-468d-87ec-caa2a7472fad","order_by":2,"name":"Sandesh Gharti","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACCQaGAwwGIFaCgY0ciD7wgEgtjA0JBWnGYC0JRGth+HA4sQFsHR7l8u1nD9748OeO3Xb2s88fPDBgTp8fdvgh0BY7Od0G7FoMzuQlW85se5a8syfdsCHBgC134+00A6CWZGOzAzi0MOSYSfM2HE42OJAG9IsBT+7G2QkgLQcSt+HQIt//xkz6zx+glvPPQFok0g1np3/Aq4XhBtAWBrbDdgY3wLYYJMhL5+C3xeDGG2PL3rbDCQY3njHOSDBIMNwgnVNwIMEAt1/k+3MMb/z4c9je4Hwaw8cff/7Ly89O3/zhQ4WdHC4tMACJDrC9ByDBQhDYI+xtwK1qFIyCUTAKRiYAAGr1a6DLRxr/AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Agriculture and Forestry University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sandesh","middleName":"","lastName":"Gharti","suffix":""},{"id":474702891,"identity":"3e7f48ec-4c56-4c39-8253-4f3065860551","order_by":3,"name":"Rabindra Adhikari","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Tübingen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rabindra","middleName":"","lastName":"Adhikari","suffix":""},{"id":474702892,"identity":"8210398b-6e81-4d1c-9a81-1e31510b565f","order_by":4,"name":"Manoj Burlakoti","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tennessee State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Manoj","middleName":"","lastName":"Burlakoti","suffix":""},{"id":474702893,"identity":"f418af7e-ee3b-46c0-8c85-65085f806051","order_by":5,"name":"Abash Paudel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tribhuvan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abash","middleName":"","lastName":"Paudel","suffix":""},{"id":474702894,"identity":"cc46012e-85d6-4179-81c4-cfd585d05361","order_by":6,"name":"Bipin Bhattarai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tribhuvan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bipin","middleName":"","lastName":"Bhattarai","suffix":""},{"id":474702895,"identity":"14c7a7a9-e1ac-4074-9f56-206d0b3d523f","order_by":7,"name":"Rohit Bhusal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tribhuvan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rohit","middleName":"","lastName":"Bhusal","suffix":""},{"id":474702896,"identity":"343f8222-6130-4392-b8c4-ed8ae880adbb","order_by":8,"name":"Shubhashis Bhattarai","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Alberta","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shubhashis","middleName":"","lastName":"Bhattarai","suffix":""},{"id":474702897,"identity":"124cf159-feaa-445f-bfb2-de177f6937e3","order_by":9,"name":"Dipendra Dhungana","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Arkansas at Monticello","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dipendra","middleName":"","lastName":"Dhungana","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-25 05:23:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6525413/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6525413/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":85721983,"identity":"4a6a7355-f95b-4a0a-9cc9-f0ddbb54340d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-01 05:46:48","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1272237,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"DelineatingtreelinedynamicsanditsimpactoncarbonstorageinAlpineregionofNepalCopy.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6525413/v1_covered_54721978-0575-4403-90d5-5166d07ba217.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Delineating treeline dynamics and its impact on carbon storage in Alpine region of Nepal","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Climate Change, Landsat, LISA, NDVI","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6525413/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6525413/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAlpine treeline dynamics significantly influence biodiversity and global carbon cycles, yet their responses to climate change and implications for carbon storage remain under studied in the Himalayas. This research work focuses on delineating the treeline elevation shifts (1993\u0026ndash;2023) and their impact on above-ground carbon stocks in Rolwaling Valley, Nepal, using Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA) autocorrelation, and stratified random sampling across 100-m elevation strata. Results showed minimal upward treeline migration (4.56m over 30 years), with average elevation stabilizing at treeline3961.49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;18.30 by 2023. The slight upward trend in the NDVI (0.0011 units/year) indicates improved vegetation density over the 30 years in the study area. Above-ground carbon stocks declined significantly with elevation, ranging from 48.33 Mg/ha (3700-3800m) to 40.52 Mg/ha (3900-4000m), equivalent to a loss of 67.84 kg per meter gained. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) prioritization identified forest restoration and silviculture interventions as the most effective measures for enhancing carbon benefits. The study provides actionable insights for aligning ecosystem management in alpine areas with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) -13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land), with a focus on adaptive strategies to enhance carbon sinks in alpine\u0026rsquo;s warming climate.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Delineating treeline dynamics and its impact on carbon storage in Alpine region of Nepal","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-23 08:49:41","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6525413/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"93153e96-b08f-479c-8405-60ca2fd6d4fc","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 23rd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":50406278,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecosystem services"},{"id":50406279,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Forest ecology"},{"id":50406280,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Forestry"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-07-01T05:38:40+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-23 08:49:41","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6525413","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6525413","identity":"rs-6525413","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}