Eco-Asset Variations and Their Driving Factors in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China, under the Context of Global Change

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper lacks originality in its content and writing. I don't see any novelty in the work. Based on these comments, I feel that the publication of this work is unwarranted.

However, here are some suggestions for the authors.

1. The manuscript needs a thorough revision on its language and style. Overall, this paper is very difficult to read. Avoid redundancies and keep it short. I suggest a thoroughly overhaul of the text for a more clearly understanding towards the reader.

2. The research gap is not well identified in the introduction. Line 97-98: The researches on the quantitative analysis of the driving mechanism of ecological asset change were relatively few. Is this expression true? As I known, numerous studies focus on this topic, and the similar works in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are widespread in the literature. The authors need to review the studies related to this subject.

3. I suggest the authors to redraw the Figure 2. The text in the picture is not clear.

4. Line 265-267: There is no data in the text to support your reasons.

5. In the discussions, the estimated ecological assets in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau reported by other scholars should be compared with your results. Line 527-530: the spatial and temporal evolution of ecological assets in different ecological sub-regions was mainly affected by natural factors, and the explanatory power of human activity factors was small. Is this expression true? As I known, the vegetation cover change is affected by climate change and human activity (such as returning farmland to forest, returning farmland to grassland, afforestation, etc.). Therefore, you cannot simply classify vegetation coverage as a natural factor, but should be discussed in detail.

Author Response

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Reviewer 2 Report

The comments to the authors are in the PDF document

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The paper, appropriate to the current issue of interest in ecosystems, presents a topical topic.

It is a clear and practical approach.

The abstract is clear, but it is recommended to add the paper's purpose and methodology.

Line 76: for ”NOAA / AVHRR” preferable to explain the abbreviations.

The purpose and objectives of the work would be desirable to be presented clearly, possibly in a separate paragraph. 

A more detailed theoretical background could be a strong point of the paper.

What do the results of the paper help? What is their usefulness in the applied practice?

If possible to develop, the authors' proposals could be a strong point of the paper.

The names of authors presented in the bibliography (it is not ok to write the initials of the entire name): check the authors' guide, because it must be corrected.

It is recommended to add a bibliography for the measuring instruments used and other similar research with the paper's topic.

A more international and complete bibliography is recommended to be used.

It should be mentioned if there were restrictions in the measurements operated and with whose equipment was worked.

What relevance does the interval chosen for the analysis have (2000-2015)? There may be some information about the state of the place analyzed after 2015.

A short justification of the work methodology could be useful.

The conclusions should not only present the results synthetically but should integrate the purpose of the paper and the context in which it was developed.

Author Response

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Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

There has been a marked improvement in the quality of the paper. Therefore, I suggest that the paper can be accepted.

Author Response

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Reviewer 2 Report

The comments to the authors are in the PDF document

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf