The spatiotemporal distributions of water and heat are diverse
and uneven throughout China. The terrestrial ecosystem productivity
and water resource balance under such conditions is essential
information for the decision making processes of policy makers.
Since WUE is a key factor linking plant productivity and water
resources, the carbon budgets and water consumption, and the
carbon cycles and the water cycles, it is vital to investigate the spatiotemporal
patterns of WUE as well as the mechanisms of these
patterns under diverse current and future climatic conditions. The
primary objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate the response
of WUE of the terrestrial ecosystems in China to future climate
change and elevated CO2 concentrations; (2) to study changes in
spatial patterns of WUE by the end of twenty-first century on
a national scale; (3) to explore the potential impacts of water
resource conditions on WUE for regions that experience different
climatic and geographical variation.