Soil erosion and its response to the changes of precipitation and vegetation cover on the Loess Plateau

Soil erosion is a major threat to our terrestrial ecosystems and an important global environmental problem. The Loess Plateau in China is one of the regions that suffered more severe soil erosion and undergoing climate warming and drying in the past decades. The vegetation restoration named Grain-to-Green Program has now been operating for more than 10 years. It is necessary to assess the variation of soil erosion and the response of precipita- tion and vegetation restoration to soil erosion on the Loess Plateau. In the study, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation （RUSLE） was applied to evaluate annual soil loss caused by water erosion. The results showed as follows. The soil erosion on the Loess Plateau between 2000 and 2010 averaged for 15.2 t hm-2 a 1 and was characterized as light for the value less than 25 t hm-2 a-1. The severe soil erosion higher than 25 t hm-2 a-~ was mainly distributed in the gully and hilly regions in the central, southwestern, and some scattered areas of earth-rocky mountainous areas on the Loess Plateau. The soil erosion on the Loess Plateau showed a deceasing trend in recent decade and reduced more at rates more than 1 t hm 2 a 1 in the areas suffering severe soil loss. Benefited from the improved vegetation cover and ecological construction, the soil erosion on the Loess Plateau was significantly declined, es- pecially in the east of Yulin, most parts of Yah＇an prefectures in Shaanxi Province, and the west of Luliang and Linfen prefectures in Shanxi Province in the hilly and gully regions. The variation of vegetation cover responding to soil erosion in these areas showed the relatively higher contribution than the precipitation. However, most areas in Qingyang and Dingxi pre- fectures in Gansu Province and Guyuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region were predomi- nantly related to precipitation.     

基于RS与GIS的三峡库区(重庆段)人居环境适宜性评价

To explore geographical differences in quantitative characteristics and spatial pat-tern of human settlements environmental suitability (HSES) in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA),terrain,climate,hydrology,vegetation and other natural factors were selected to build the livable environmental evaluation,and the quantitative analysis was conducted through Remote Sensing(RS) and Geographic Informational System (GIS) to reveal geo-graphical characteristics and spatial patterns of HSES.The results are obtained as follows:(1) inhabitants of the TGRA of Chongqing are concentrated in the area with moderate high HSES,which is 78% of the total population distributed in 48% of the study area;(2) the HSES is closely related to the terrain,and it forms an arc-banded spatial succession pattern:relatively low in the northeast and the southeast while comparatively high in the west and the south;(3) large numbers of people are distributed in the area with low suitability (with higher population density than the average of the western China),but economic development level in these areas is quite low.Moreover,these areas are ecological sensitive and fragile,many kinds of eco-environmental problems have been caused by human activities.Therefore,population migration and layout are reasonable options for the development of these areas.     

Soil erosion risk evaluation using GIS in the Yuanmou County, a dry-hot valley of Yunnan, China

Soil erosion is a major threat to sustainable agriculture. Evaluating regional erosion risk is increasingly needed by national and in-ternational environmental agencies. This study elaborates a model (using spatial principal component analysis [SPCA]) method for the evaluation of soil erosion risk in a representative area of dry-hot valley (Yuanmou County) at a scale of 1:100,000 using a spatial database and GIS. The model contains seven factors: elevation, slope, annual precipitation, land use, vegetation, soil, and population density. The evaluation results show that five grades of soil erosion risk: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. These are divided in the study area, and a soil erosion risk evaluation map is created. The model may be applicable to other areas of China because it utilizes spatial data that are generally available.     

中国山区农村土地利用转型及其对土地整治的政策启示（英文）

The cultivation of mountainous land results in water loss and soil erosion. With rapid urbanization and industrialization in China, labor emigration relieves the cultivation of mountainous areas in regions with high poverty and leads to a significant land use transition. This research built an analysis framework for "land use transition – driving mechanism – effects –responses" for mountainous areas of China undergoing land use transition and then proposed the direction of mountainous land consolidation. The results showed that the turning point of land use morphology was the core of rural land use transition in mountainous areas. The expansion of cropland and the contraction of forestland have transitioned to the abandonment of cropland and the expansion of forestland; this transition was the main characteristic of the dominant land use change. Land marginalization and land ecological functional recovery were the main characteristics of the recessive land use transition in mountainous areas. Socioeconomic factors were the primary driving forces during land use transition in mountainous areas, with labor emigration being the most direct force. The rising costs of farming and the challenging living conditions causing labor emigration were fundamental driving forces. Rural land use transition in mountainous areas reduced the vulnerability of the ecological function of land ecosystems. The advantages and disadvantages of the socioeconomic effects should focus on rural development of mountainous areas as well as the livelihood of farmers; this should be further supported by empirical and quantitative research. Rural land use transition of mountainous areas improves natural restoration and is related to socioeconomic development. Rural land consolidation of mountainous areas should conform to land use transition,with the goal of shifting from the increase of cultivated land to the synergies of ecological and environmental protection.     

模拟降雨条件下泥沙荷载随坡面侵蚀过程的变化（英文）

It is of great significance to quantify sediment load changing with erosion processes for improving the precision of soil loss prediction. Indoor rainfall experiments were conducted in 2 rainfall intensities(90 mm·h~(-1) and 120 mm·h~(-1)), four slope gradients(17.60%, 26.80%, 36.40%, 46.60%) and 2 slope lengths(5 m, 10 m). Erosion processes are divided into five stages. Results show that sediment yield is mainly sourced from rill erosion, contributing from 54.60% to 95.70% and the duration of which is extended by slope gradients. Sediment load and sediment concentration are significantly different along erosion stages, with the highest values in rill development stage(SIV). Surface flow velocities(interrill and rill) demonstrate less significant differences along erosion stages. Rainfall intensity increases sediment load in all stages, with up to 12.0 times higher when changing from 90 to 120 mm·h~(-1). There is an increasing trend for sediment load and sediment concentration with the rising slope gradient, however, fluctuations existed with the lowest values on 26.80% and 36.40%, respectively, among different treatments. The slope gradient effects are enhanced by rainfall intensity and slope length. Results from this study are important for validating and improving hillslope erosion modelling at each erosion stage.     

Using remote-sensing technologies in combination with Cesium-137 measurements to estimate soil-erosion quantity in semi-arid steppe areas

Soil erosion by wind is one of the most important processes in the changing the earth’s surface in semi-arid areas,Thus it is of great importance to study soil-erosion action.Using integrated technologies of remote sensing and geochemistry radioactivity iso-tope to extract regional soil-erosion information and to calculate quantity of soil erosion is accomplished successfully in this paper by means of beneficial experiments in the Talatan region of the Gonghe Basin,which is located in northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Pla-teau in China.The results show that the soil erosion by wind is not intensive in this region;the erosion types belong to the classes of very-soft erosion and soft-erosion type,which account for 47.12 percent and 35.58 percent,respectively,of the total study area.In total,two kinds of soil erosion account for 82.70 percent of the study area;only a small area belongs to the classes of severe erosion and very-severe erosion;this area is about 22.14 km2.Severe deposition activity has taken place in this region,and has appeared in a large area(322.67 km2),which accounts for 11.78 percent of the total study area.The results of this study show that soil erosion and deposition inventories are 870,000-1,150,000 tons and 550,000-780,000 tons,respectively,per year.The soil in-ventory shows about 320,000-370,000 tons from Talatan to Longyangxia reservoir per year.Using remote-sensing technology and 137Cs techniques is a valid means to analyze and to evaluate the quantity of soil erosion by wind in semi-arid environments.     

贵州猫跳河流域土地利用变化和土壤侵蚀(英文)

Due to the extremely poor soil cover, a low soil-forming rate, and inappropriate intensive land use, soil erosion is a serious problem in Guizhou Province, which is located in the centre of the karst areas of Southwest China. In order to bring soil erosion under control and restore environment, the Chinese Government has initiated a serious of ecological rehabilitation projects such as the Grain-for-Green Programme and Natural Forest Protection Program and brought about tremendous influences on land-use change and soil erosion in Guizhou Province. This paper explored the relationship between land use and soil erosion in the Maotiao River watershed, a typical agricultural area with severe soil erosion in central Guizhou Province. In this study, we analyzed the spatio-temporal dynamic change of land-use type in Maotiao River watershed from 1973 to 2007 using Landsat MSS image in 1973, Landsat TM data in 1990 and 2007. Soil erosion change characteristics from 1973 to 2007, and soil loss among different land-use types were examined by integrating the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) with a GIS environment. The results indicate that changes in land use within the watershed have significantly affected soil erosion. From 1973 to 1990, dry farmland and rocky desertified land significantly increased. In contrast, shrubby land, other forestland and grassland significantly decreased, which caused accelerated soil erosion in the study area. This trend was reversed from 1990 to 2007 with an increased area of land-use types for ecological use owing to the implementation of environmental protection programs. Soil erosion also significantly varied among land-use types. Erosion was most serious in dry farmland and the lightest in paddy field. Dry farmland with a gradient of 6°-25° was the major contributor to soil erosion, and conservation practices should be taken in these areas. The results of this study provide useful information for decision makers and planners to take sustainable land use management and soil conservation measures in the area.     

长江上游社会经济因子对侵蚀产沙的影响

In recent years,the role of human activities in changing sediment yield has become more apparent for the construction of hydraulic engineering and water conservation projec-tions in the Upper Yangtze River,but it has not been evaluated at the macro scale.Taking Sichuan Province and Chongqing City as an example,this paper studies the relationship between socio-economic factors and sediment yield in the Upper Yangtze River based on section data in 1989 and 2007.The results show that sediment yield is significantly correlated with population density and cultivated area,in which the former appears to be more closely related to sediment yield.Moreover,in the relation of sediment yield vs.population density,a critical value of population density exists,below which the sediment yield increases with the increase of population density and over which the sediment yield increases with the decrease of population density.The phenomenon essentially reflects the influence of natural factors,such as topography,precipitation and soil property,and some human activities on sediment yield.The region with a higher population density than critical value is located in the east of the study area and is characterized by plains,hills and low mountains,whereas the opposite is located in the west and characterized by middle and high mountains.In the eastern region,more people live on the lands with a low slope where regional soil erosion is slight;therefore,sediment yield is negatively related with population density.In contrast,in the western region,the population tends to aggregate in the areas with abundant soil and water resources which usually lead to a higher intensity of natural erosion,and in turn,high-intensity agricultural practices in these areas may further strengthen local soil erosion.It is also found that popu-lation tends to move from the areas with bad environment and high sediment yield to the areas with more comfortable environment and less sediment yield.The natural factors have greater influence on sediment yield of western region than that of eastern region.Generally,the natural factors play a dominant role on sediment yield in the Upper Yangtze River.     

中国水土保持研究回顾

The preservation and sustainable development of soil and water resources is one of the basic principles for the development of China. Throughout the course of history, all the social improvement and economic development are deeply concerned with soil loss and ecological environmental protection. It is now a common sense that soil and water conservation is the safety insurance for national ecology and its development. For the past long period of time, soil and water loss has been recognized as “the No. 1 killer“ to the ecological environment. The nation is on the stage of the critical conditions for its development. China has massive mountain and upland area with complicated geological conditions and accelerated human destruction and serious soil and water loss.Based on rich historical documents, renovating experience and detailed analysis of the data collected in field experiments and field surveys for soil and water conservation, this paper aims to review the general characteristics of soil and water loss, to explore the relationship between soil and water conservation and sustainable economic development, and to provide relevant strategies for soil and water conservation in China.     

北京山区沟域经济发展的空间结构

Valley economy is a new mode in mountainous area development that is defined by various characters of valley development,and is a distinguishing economical geographic pattern for mountainous area development.The special spatial coupling relations in the dis-tribution of different mountainous elements in valleys are new subjects for the mountain de-velopment studies,and such studies are meaningful both for researches and practices.Based on the long term researches on mountainous area development and following a brief exploration into the connotations and the spatial organizing process of valley economy,the authors analyzed the present situations of the development of valley economy in Beijing’s mountainous areas,studied the characteristics and the impacts of the spatial structural changes of the valley economy in Beijing’s mountainous areas,and finally proposed a rational arrangement of the spatial structure of the valley economy in Beijing’s mountainous areas.It is considered in this study that valley economy plays an important role in the development and functional transformation in Beijing’s mountainous areas in the new epoch.Firstly,valley economy is not outlined by the administrative boundaries,and it connects most of the villages in the mountainous areas roughly along the major transportation lines.Therefore,valley economy can exert positive influence on the development in the mountainous areas,at least in the aspects such as the rearrangement of industrial structure in the mountainous areas and the coordinated development of rural and urban areas.In addition,it is found that the valley economy in Beijing’s mountainous areas is evolved in a spatial organizing stage of secondary concentration,which is characterized by resource-saving,ecological protection and industrial optimization.Therefore,the development of valley economy will be helpful to the coordination between ecological protection and economic development in the mountainous areas,and will promote the integrated development of the mountainous areas.The developing mode of the valley economy in Beijing’s mountainous areas will provide the basis for the decision-making in the transformation of the functional roles of Beijing’s mountainous areas,and on the other hand,will present experiences for the studies in the mountainous areas outside of Beijing.     

基于RUSLE的广东南岭土壤侵蚀敏感性研究

基于修正的通用水土流失方程RUSLE和GIS技术,分析了影响土壤侵蚀敏感性的降雨侵蚀力因子、土壤可蚀性因子、坡度坡长因子以及植被覆盖与管理因子,并生成单要素敏感性评价图,在此基础上,评价研究区土壤侵蚀敏感性,探讨不同土壤侵蚀敏感性的分布规律及其主导因子的空间分异特征。结果表明：降雨侵蚀力因子的变化范围为8 181.52~14 621.56（MJ·mm）/（hm2·h·a）,土壤可蚀性因子为0.146~0.238（t·hm2·h）/（hm2·MJ·mm）,坡度坡长因子为0~612.615,植被覆盖与管理因子为0.101~1.183,土壤侵蚀的最大值和平均值分别为7 016.44和137.69 t/（km2·a）,土壤侵蚀敏感性以低度敏感和较低敏感为主,不同影响因子在敏感性分区的变化范围不同,其中地形因子和植被覆盖与管理因子对土壤侵蚀最为敏感。     

基于USLE和GIS的水土流失敏感性空间分析——以河北太行山区为例

以USLE方程为理论指导,遥感影像为主要数据源,基于ArcGIS 进行水土流失敏感性空间分析。选择降雨侵蚀力、土地利用类型、坡度、植被覆盖度等影响因子构建水土流失敏感性评价指标体系,在考虑不同因子影响作用大小的情况下,运用空间分析的方法按标准将水土流失敏感性分为五级;并以河北太行山区为例进行研究,利用危险性指数表征研究区水土流失敏感性大小,分析研究区在不同地理背景下的水土流失敏感区的空间分布特征。研究表明：河北太行山区的水土流失敏感性危险性指数为3.97;空间上水土流失敏感性分等级呈现明显的条带状分布;中度敏感区所占面积比例最大,为39.2%;整体水土流失敏感性中度偏重。     

新疆克拉玛依市生态敏感性研究

基于地理信息系统空间分析、栅格运算与叠加方法,针对克拉玛依市土壤侵蚀、土地沙漠化、土壤盐渍化和生物多样性减少等区域自然环境演变过程中出现的生态问题,考虑油田开发这一人类活动影响因素,定量研究克拉玛依市综合生态敏感性空间特征.研究结果表明:(1)土壤侵蚀敏感性以中、高和极高敏感性为主,高和极高敏感性分布在克拉玛依区和独山...     

基于景观格局和水土流失敏感性的大理市生态脆弱性分析

以大理市为研究对象,在2005年大理市土地利用现状数据的基础上,从景观格局与水土流失敏感性相结合角度探讨了大理区域生态环境脆弱性问题。首先,选择景观分离度（DIVISION）、周长面积比分维数（PAF-RAC）的倒数、斑块密度（PD）3个景观格局指数,分析了景观类型脆弱度;并在此基础上,以1：5万的土地利用类型数据和DEM数据为基础,以ARC／INF09．2为工具,依据通用水土流失方程,选择降水侵蚀力、土壤质地、地形起伏度和地表覆盖等自然因子作为水土流失评价指标,得出水土流失敏感性指数。通过对景观格局指数和水土流失敏感性修正指数的数值分析和空间分析,得出了大理市不敏感、轻度敏感、中度敏感、高度敏感和极度敏感等5个生态脆弱性级别分区及其空间分布特征。     

新疆巴音郭楞蒙古自治州生态敏感性分析

生态环境敏感性分析对于生态环境功能得到保护和恢复,资源得到高效利用,生态安全得到保障,区域可持续发展能力得到增强具有重要作用。本文根据巴音郭楞蒙古自治州自然地理特征,采用GIS分析和专家集成方法,分别进行了巴州土壤侵蚀敏感性、土地沙漠化敏感性、土壤盐渍化敏感性和生物多样性及生境敏感性评价,最后展开生态环境敏感性综合研究。结果表明:巴州生态环境敏感性共分为极敏感、高度敏感、敏感、轻度敏感以及不敏感5个等级。生态环境极敏感区面积为2.7×10⁴ km²,占全州面积5.7%;高度敏感区为12.7×10⁴ km²,占26.4%;敏感区面积为14.8×10⁴ km²,占30.8%;轻度敏感地区为7.9×10⁴ km²,占16.4%;不敏感区面积为10.0×10⁴ km²,占20.7%。     

Assessment of Terrestrial Ecosystem Sensitivity and Vulnerability in Tibet

The Tibetan Plateau serves an important shelter function for the ecological security of Asia, and especially China. Here, we proposed and improved indicators and methods for assessing the ecological sensitivity and vulnerability of the terrestrial alpine Plateau ecosystems and assessed the freeze-thaw erosion, land desertification, water-caused soil loss, and land salinization sensitivity, together with ecological vulnerability, from the overall ecological sensitivity, ecological pressure, and elasticity aspects in Tibet. The results indicate that the terrestrial ecosystem of Tibet is quite sensitive to freeze-thaw erosion, land desertification and water-caused soil loss. Extremely and highly sensitive regions account for 9.62% and 83.69%, respectively, of the total area of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Extremely and highly vulnerable areas account for 0.09% and 52.61%, respectively, primarily distributed in the Himalayan and Gangdise mountain regions in west Tibet; the Nyainqentanglha, Tanggula, Hoh Xil, and Kunlun mountain regions; and the northwest and northern regions of the Changtang Plateau. The results will aid the development of customized protection schedules according to different ecological issues in each region.     

基于RUSLE的流域土壤侵蚀敏感性评价——以福建省吉溪流域为例

以修正的通用水土流失方程(RUSLE)为核心,在分析流域土壤侵蚀敏感性影响因子的基础上,运用G IS技术对各敏感因子值进行估算,结合已有研究成果探讨了定量化的流域土壤侵蚀敏感性评价指标体系的建立,并以吉溪流域为例进行土壤侵蚀敏感性评价。同时分析了该流域土壤侵蚀敏感性与土壤侵蚀量的关系。最后,针对不同的流域土壤侵蚀敏感等级提出了相应的管理措施和建议。     

湖南土壤生态系统对酸沉降的相对敏感性区划

以成土母质、土壤酸碱度、土壤类型、植被类型和湿度类型等5个生境因子为基础,建立湖南土壤生态系统对酸沉降的相对敏感性评价指标体系;利用地理信息系统(GIS)工具进行湖南土壤生态系统对酸沉降的相对敏感性区划,结果表明,湖南省可以划分为极敏感区、敏感区、中等敏感区、不敏感区和极不敏感区等5个酸相对敏感性分区,分别占湖南省总面积的2.15%、30.02%、55.01%、10.56%和2.26%.     

The influence of rainfall and land use patterns on soil erosion in multi-scale watersheds: A case study in the hilly and gully area on the Loess Plateau,China

Soil erosion has become a major global environmental problem and is particularly acute on the Loess Plateau (LP), China. It is therefore highly important to control this process in order to improve ecosystems, protect ecological security, and maintain the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. We compared the effects of rainfall and land use (LU) patterns on soil erosion in different LP watersheds in this study in order to augment and improve soil erosion models. As most research on this theme has so far been focused on individual study areas, limited analyses of rainfall and LU patterns on soil erosion within different- scale watersheds has so far been performed, a discrepancy which might influence the simulation accuracies of soil erosion models. We therefore developed rainfall and LU pattern indices in this study using the soil erosion evaluation index as a reference and applied them to predict the extent of this process in different-scale watersheds, an approach which is likely to play a crucial role in enabling the comprehensive management of this phenomenon as well as the optimized design of LU patterns. The areas considered in this study included the Qingjian, Fenchuan, Yanhe, and Dali river watersheds. Results showed that the rainfall erosivity factor (R) tended to increase in these areas from 2006 to 2012, while the vegetation cover and management factor (C) tended to decrease. Results showed that as watershed area increased, the effect of rainfall pattern on soil erosion gradually decreased while patterns in LU trended in the opposite direction, as the relative proportion of woodland decreased and the different forms of steep slope vegetation cover became more homogenous. As watershed area increased, loose soil and craggy terrain properties led to additional gravitational erosion and enhanced the effects of both soil and topography.     

基于GIS的吴江东部地区生态敏感性分析

区域可持续发展的基础是生态环境的可持续,而生态敏感性区划是制定生态环境规划的前提和基础。文章借助GIS技术,选择有区域代表性的生态因子,采用因子叠加法,对吴江东部地区的生态敏感性进行了深入分析,按生态敏感度的高低将研究区划分为5 级:极高敏感区、高敏感区、中敏感区、低敏感区和非敏感区,并提出了分区保护与建设的建议,为研究区生态环境保护和产业经济布局提供有价值的参考。研究结果表明,极高和高生态敏感区面积占研究区的48.63%,说明研究区生态敏感性总体上很高。