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The study of climate element distribution models under complex terrain conditions is a popular topic in the field of GIS application in climatology, especially in plateau areas with a complex topography and scarce meteorological station information. In this paper, the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of temperature and precipitation at the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau was analyzed by taking the northeastern edge of the plateau as the study area and constructing a topographic spatial statistical model using 47 meteorological stations and digital elevation models from 1981 to 2010. The following conclusions were drawn from the study: (1) The ME of the temperature distribution model for each month is below 0.9 °C; the maximum ME of the precipitation distribution model for each month is −5.808 mm in July, and the precipitation distribution model has similar error characteristics with the temperature distribution model, which can reflect the horizontal zone distribution pattern of meteorological data and can clearly show the changes of temperature and precipitation as the altitude increases. (2) The spatial distribution pattern of temperature is as follows: the temperature in the study area gradually increases from the southwest to the northeast, with Zhouqu County in Linxia Prefecture and Gannan Prefecture as the main high-temperature areas; the spatial distribution of precipitation is as follows: the precipitation in the southwest of the study area is significantly higher than that in the north, and the precipitation in Linxia Prefecture is significantly lower than that in Gannan Prefecture. (3) The temporal distribution pattern of the temperature distribution model is as follows: the overall temperature in the study area is at its lowest level in January, and the maximum temperature is only 2.6 °C, until July, when the maximum temperature rises to 24.2 °C and then gradually starts to decline; the spatial distribution of precipitation is as follows: the precipitation in the study area gradually rises from January, and the maximum precipitation rises to July and then starts to decline, and in December the precipitation falls to the lowest level. The temporal distribution characteristics of the precipitation distribution model are similar to those of the air temperature model, with obvious hydrothermal synchronization characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecosystem health dynamics was explicitly assessed in Gannan Plateau since 2000. • PSR and AHP methods were combined to explore the driving forces of ecosystem health. • Ecosystem health showed clearly differences under different influencing factors. • Ecological project showed a positive impact on ecological health in alpine area. • The ecosystem health status has been improved by 15.04% in Gannan plateau since 2000. Ecosystem health plays a vital role in the development of regional ecological environment. Gannan Plateau, an important water conservation area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, is located at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Due to the importance of the region, understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of the ecosystem health within this region is particularly critical. Previous studies on regional ecosystem health assessment mainly focused on single ecosystem type such as wetland, forest, and grassland, while there are relatively few studies that comprehensively assessed ecosystem health at high-spatial resolution in Gannan alpine areas. In this study, 11 counties and cities in Gannan Tibetan and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of the Gansu Province, China were used as the study area. We evaluated the ecosystem health of 154 township units from 2000 to 2020 with methods of Pressure-State-Response model (PSR) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), using a combination of satellite remote sensing data, social statistics data, meteorological data, and other geospatial data sources. The results showed that overall ecosystems in the southwestern part of the study area exhibited healthier condition than those located in the northeastern part, which is mainly due to the combination of the natural environment and the intensity of human activities in different regions. Over the past 20 years, due to the active implementation of relevant ecological protection and restoration policies by various regional governments and the improvement of the natural environment, the average ecosystem health status of Gannan Plateau has increased by 15.04 %, showing an improving trend in varying degrees or being stable, no declining trend was observed except for a small town. Our results implied that management should take different measures according to the differences of regional ecosystem health level, also pay more attention to areas where the ecosystem health status has not improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]