Hydrological responses and soil erosion potential of abandoned cropland in the Loess Plateau, China

Recent changes in hydrological processes and soil erosion in the Loess Plateau, China, are immediate responses to cropland abandonment for revegetation, which lead to a long-term decrease in runoff generation and soil erosion. However, detailed hydrological responses and soil erosion changes have not been clearly evaluated. In this study, two issues were focused on the plot scale. The first issue relates to changes in vegetation cover and soil properties during the early stages of revegetation. Given the occurrence of soil compaction, it was hypothesized that runoff increased during this period and the soil erosion did not significantly decline, even though vegetation increased. The second issue is the effect of scale on runoff and soil erosion. Three plot groups of three vegetation types and two restoration stages were established for comparative experiments. The results from these experiments confirmed that the soil compaction occurred during revegetation in this region. Greater runoff was produced in plot group that experienced both a longer restoration time and with higher vegetation cover (such as Groups 2 and 3 in this study) than that with a shorter restoration time and lower vegetation cover (Group 1). In addition, the total soil loss rates of all plot groups were rather low and did not significantly differ from each other. This indicates that a reduction in runoff generation and soil erosion, as a result of revegetation, was limited in the early stages of restoration following the cropland abandonment. With increasing plot area, the runoff coefficient decreased for the plot group with a longer revegetation time (Groups 2 and 3), but gently increased for the one with a shorter restoration time (Group 1). In Groups 2 and 3, soil loss rate decreased when plot area enlarged. In Group 1, it decreased before a plot area threshold of 18 m² was exceeded. However, the increase occurred when plot area crossed the threshold value. In conclusion, the high vegetation cover alone did not lead to reduction in the runoff coefficient during the early stages of revegetation. When evaluating hydrological and soil erosion responses to revegetation, the soil compaction processes should be considered. Additionally, the effect of scale on runoff and soil erosion was found to be dependent on restoration extent, and thus on restoration time.     

土地利用/土地覆盖变化与土壤侵蚀关系研究进展

土壤侵蚀作为LUCC引起的主要环境效应之一,是自然和人为因素叠加的结果。不合理的土地利用和地表植被覆盖的减少对土壤侵蚀具有放大效应。土地利用/土地覆盖变化与土壤侵蚀关系的研究已逐渐成为LUCC研究和土壤侵蚀研究的一项新的重要课题。目前,涉及土地利用/土地覆盖的土壤侵蚀研究方法有很多,本文介绍了基于模型的定量研究、基于GIS和RS的研究、基于放射性同位素的研究以及基于湖泊(水库)沉积物的研究的基本原理与研究进展,同时指出了每种方法中存在的不足。     

多流域降雨和土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀影响的比较分析——以陕北黄土丘陵沟壑区为例（英文）

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.     

Climatic influences on Holocene variations in soil erosion rates on a small hill in the Mojave Desert

A detailed study of a small hill in NE Mojave Desert in eastern California was conducted to elucidate the effect of climate on the variations in soil erosion rates through Holocene. Field surveys and sampling were carried out to obtain information on topography, geomorphology, soil and vegetation conditions, seismic refraction, sediment deposition, and hillslope processes. Integration of this information allowed reconstruction of the hill topography at the end of the Pleistocene, deduction of the evolution of the hill from the end of the Pleistocene to the present, and estimation of total soil losses resulting from various hillslope processes. The estimates are consistent with the premise that early Holocene climate change resulted in vegetation change, soil destabilization, and topographic roughening. Current, very slow, hillslope transport rates (e.g., 5 mm ky⁻¹ by rodent burrowing, a presently important transport form) appear inconsistent with the inferred total soil loss rate (31 mm ky⁻¹). Packrat midden studies imply that the NE Mojave Desert experienced enhanced monsoonal precipitation in the early Holocene, presumably accentuating soil loss. Water erosion on one slope of the hill was simulated using Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), a process-based erosion model, using 4 and 6 ky of precipitation input compatible with an appropriate monsoonal climate and the present climate, respectively. The WEPP-predicted soil losses for the chosen slope were compatible with inferred soil losses. Identification of two time periods within the Holocene with distinct erosion characteristics may provide new insight into the current state of Mojave Desert landform evolution.     

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.     

山区土地利用/覆被变化对土壤侵蚀的影响

本文以福建省山区为例,在对福建省水土保持实验站、建瓯市牛坑龙水土保持试验站长期观测、实验资料深入分析对比的基础之上,探讨了土地利用/土地覆被变化对土壤侵蚀的影响规律。分析结果表明,土地利用/土地覆被变化对径流的产生和土壤侵蚀有重要影响,植被的覆盖度的变化直接影响着径流系数和土壤侵蚀模数;植被的覆盖度和径流系数呈负线性关系,随着覆盖度的增加径流系数逐渐减小;植被覆盖度和土壤侵蚀模数为负指数关系,随着植被覆盖度的增大,土壤侵蚀模数急剧下降。     

Soil Conservation of National Key Ecological Function Areas

Soil erosion is a significant factor in the deterioration of the ecological environment and soil conservation is an important ecological service of National Key Ecological Function Areas in China. Here, climate, terrain, soil and vegetation cover, soil erosion and soil conservation spatial data in 25 National Key Ecological Function Areas in 2010 were analyzed using the Universal Soil Loss Equation by ArcGIS tool. We found that soil conservation effects due to vegetation cover and soil conservation measures are obvious and that micro and slight erosion areas in National Key Ecological Function Areas have increased by 26.2%. The area of intensive erosion decreased by 25.1%, and the soil conservation amount in southern National Key Ecological Function Areas is high. The conservation amount of soil nutrients within National Key Ecological Function Areas is related to amount of soil conservation and content of each nutrient element in soil. The sequence of nutrient conservation amounts from high to low is soil organic carbon, total K, total N and total P in soil. The conservation amount of various soil nutrient elements in the Alkin Grassland function area and Yunnan and Sichuan function area was highest. Based on our findings, we recommend the strengthening of vegetation protection and management in the areas with high per unit area soil erosion, enhancement of vegetation cover and improvement of soil conservation measures in order to improve soil conservation functions and reduce soil nutrient losses. Vegetation protection and soil conservation measures should be consolidated in the areas with high potential erosion to prevent further deterioration.     

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.     

多流域降雨和土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀影响的比较分析——以陕北黄土丘陵沟壑区为例

土壤侵蚀是制约黄土高原可持续发展的瓶颈因素,为分析不同面积流域降雨和土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀影响的变化趋势,本文基于土壤侵蚀评价指数,发展了降雨和土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀影响的表征方法,探讨了多流域降雨和土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀的影响。结果表明：① 2006-2012年,研究区降雨侵蚀力因子R总体上呈现上升的趋势,植被覆盖与管理因子C呈现下降趋势;② 随流域面积的增加,研究区内降雨格局对土壤侵蚀的影响逐渐降低,而土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀的影响变大;③ 在流域面积较小时,降雨格局对土壤侵蚀的影响要大于土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀的影响,而在流域面积较大时,土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀的影响大于降雨格局对土壤侵蚀的影响;④ 随着流域面积的增加,研究区的林地比例有所下降,陡坡植被覆盖类型趋于单一,这是在流域面积增大时土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀影响增加的主要原因。同时,流域面积较小时,降雨对土壤侵蚀的影响较大,但随着流域面积的增加,松软的土壤性质和沟壑纵横的地形增大了发生重力侵蚀的可能性,土壤和地形对土壤侵蚀的影响增大。     

全球及区域模式中陆面过程的地表植被覆盖分类方法

全球和区域尺度上陆面生态系统与气候密切相关。全球和区域模式的发展对于我们认识气候与陆地生态的变化起到重要作用。在这些模型中,植被覆盖是影响大气-植被间热量、水分和CO2等交换的重要陆面参数。在分析了陆地植被覆盖分类原理基础上,介绍了目前全球不同植被覆盖分类方案,包括基于地基观测的植被分布、基于生物气候特征的分类方案（如：Holdridge的方案）;特别近年来陆面过程试验表明,各种遥感数据源（如：NOAA—AVHRR,EOS—MODIS,Landsat—TM）等为我们提供了有利的工具来监测全球植被动态,完善植被分类,并且采用高时空分辨率的全球土地覆盖状况特征,在不同时空尺度揭示植被-大气相互作用。本文分析了代表性的3种基于卫星遥感技术的陆面植被分类方案,分别是BATS（18类）、SIB（9类）、SIB2（12类）和BIOME—BGC（31类）陆地模式的植被覆盖分类方案．最后分析了目前可用于全球植被覆盖分类的新的遥感数据库。     

基于文献分析的土地退化评价指标研究

中英文献综合统计,土地退化评价应用频次较高的指标有植被盖度、坡度、经济收入水平、有机质含量和土地利用类型等;土壤侵蚀应用频次较高的有植被因子、坡度、地貌类型、有机质含量和土地利用类型等;沙化有植被覆盖度、沙地占地率、土地利用类型、有机质含量、人口数量等。土地退化、土壤侵蚀和沙化遥感监测指标也集中在植被盖度、坡度、土地利用类型等指标。     

多尺度土地利用与土壤侵蚀

土地利用能够通过改变一系列的自然现象和生态过程影响土壤侵蚀,尺度不同,土地利用与土壤侵蚀的作用机制也会发生变化。本文针对坡面尺度、小流域／流域尺度和区域尺度,综述了不同尺度上土地利用对土壤侵蚀的影响研究。其中,在坡面尺度上,土地利用与土壤侵蚀的研究主要包括土地利用方式和土地管理措施对土壤侵蚀的影响,相应尺度上的模型有USLE／RUSLE、WEPP等;在小流域／流域尺度上,土地利用与土壤侵蚀的研究主要涉及土地利用结构和土地利用格局对土壤侵蚀的影响,相关的模型有LISEM、AGNPS、EUROSEM和SEDEM等;在区域尺度上土壤侵蚀评价研究主要是通过尺度上推和宏观因子评价的方法进行。多尺度土地利用与土壤侵蚀研究作为自然地理学研究中的热点问题,在进一步的研究中需要关注多尺度综合与尺度转换、土地利用政策效应、土地利用格局与土壤流失过程等方面的研究内容。     

Modelling net erosion responses to enviroclimatic changes recorded upon multisecular timescales

Land use change has been recognized throughout the Earth as one of the most important factors influencing the occurrence of rainfall-driven geomorphological processes. However, relating the occurrence of historical soil erosion rates is difficult because of the lack of long-term research projects in river basins. Also, complex models are not adequate to reconstruct erosion rate changes because they require significant input data not always available on long timescales. Given the problems with assessing sediment yield using complex erosion models, the objective of this study is to explore a parsimonious scale-adapted erosion model (ADT) from the original Thornes and Douglas algorithms, which aims at reconstruction of annual net erosion (ANE) upon multisecular timescales. As a test site, the Calore River basin (3015 km² in southern Italy) provides a peculiar and unique opportunity for modelling erosion responses to climate and land cover changes, where input-data generation and interpretation results were also supported by documented hydrogeomorphological events that occurred before and after land deforestation. In this way, ANE_ADT-values were reconstructed for the period 1675–2004 by using precipitation indexes, complemented by recent instrumental records, and by using land cover statistics from documented agrarian sources. Pulses of natural sedimentation in the predeforestation period have been related to Vesuvius volcanic activity and changes in rainstorm frequency. After deforestation, the basin system became unstable with sudden fluctuations in the hydrogeomorphological regime contributing significantly to increased erosion and, in turn, sediment transport sequences via river drainage towards the Tyrrhenian coast.     

植被盖度变化背景下的中国北方风蚀区植被防风固沙功能研究(英文)

本文基于气象、遥感数据,运用RWEQ模型,结合风蚀季节的植被盖度变化对近30年的土壤风蚀量和植被的防风固沙服务功能的时空变化趋势进行了定量评估,揭示了植被盖度变化对防风固沙服务功能的影响。研究表明:中国北方多年平均土壤风蚀量为160.1亿t,并处于下降趋势,土壤侵蚀强度大的区域主要集中在各大沙漠区和植被盖度较低的草地,且春季为我国土壤风蚀的多发期,占全年风蚀量的45.93%;中国北方多年平均防风固沙量为203.1亿t;防风固沙服务功能保有率的分布特征表现为由东南到西北逐渐降低的趋势;工程实施后春季植被盖度的提升区主要集中在黄土高原、青藏高原、河北北部、内蒙古东部以及东北地区;大部分区域的春季植被盖度减小(提高)与防风固沙的服务保有率的下降(提升)呈显著正相关(r0.7,p0.01);前后两个十年相比较草地生态系统的防风固沙服务功能提升幅度最大(2.02%),其次为林地(1.15%)、农田(0.99%)和荒漠(0.86%)。     

Short and long term effects of bioturbation on soil erosion, water resources and soil development in an arid environment

The importance of vegetal cover on soil erosion processes has been recognized for a long time. However, the short and long term effects of faunal activity on soil erosion and soil development had been largely overlooked by geomorphologists. The study of runoff and erosion processes in the Negev desert indicated pronounced systematic differences in sediment concentration and soil erosion rates between rocky and colluvial surfaces. Erosion rates were always higher on the former than on the latter. Field observations drew attention to an intense burrowing and digging activity conducted mainly by Isopods and Porcupines. The monitoring of this activity, based on a grid system, which consists of rows 5 m wide, lasted ten consecutive years. Data obtained suggest the existence of a strong link between the spatial pattern of bioturbation and that of soil erosion. The study also examines, through feedback processes, the regulatory role of bioturbation on the spatial distribution of water availability; soil moisture and soil forming processes. Due to bioturbation two distinct environments were recognised. The rocky environment which is characterized by a positive feedback with a high water availability and low soil salinity; and the soil covered areas where a negative feedback results in low water availability and a high soil salinity.     

中国东部亚热带丘陵山区土地退化坡面分带性的成因

中国东部地区流水侵蚀所引起的土地退化具有明显的坡面分带性。以安徽绩溪、浙江兰溪和广东五华为典型区,从坡地地貌及其所引起破面侵蚀分带性入手,通过坡面不同部位地面物质及其理化性质、养分和水分状况以及植被、侵蚀地貌形态的分析,探讨土地退化坡面分带性的成因。     

The effects of vegetation on runoff and soil loss: Multidimensional structure analysis and scale characteristics

This review summarizes the effects of vegetation on runoff and soil loss in three dimensions: vertical vegetation structures (aboveground vegetation cover, surface litter layer and underground roots), plant diversity, vegetation patterns and their scale characteristics. Quantitative relationships between vegetation factors with runoff and soil loss are described. A framework for describing relationships involving vegetation, erosion and scale is proposed. The relative importance of each vegetation dimension for various erosion processes changes across scales. With the development of erosion features (i.e., splash, interrill, rill and gully), the main factor of vertical vegetation structures in controlling runoff and soil loss changes from aboveground biomass to roots. Plant diversity levels are correlated with vertical vegetation structures and play a key role at small scales, while vegetation patterns also maintain a critical function across scales (i.e., patch, slope, catchment and basin/region). Several topics for future study are proposed in this review, such as to determine efficient vegetation architectures for ecological restoration, to consider the dynamics of vegetation patterns, and to identify the interactions involving the three dimensions of vegetation.     

植被多维结构对水土流失的影响与尺度特征（英文）

This review summarizes the effects of vegetation on runoff and soil loss in three dimensions: vertical vegetation structures(aboveground vegetation cover, surface litter layer and underground roots), plant diversity, vegetation patterns and their scale characteristics. Quantitative relationships between vegetation factors with runoff and soil loss are described. A framework for describing relationships involving vegetation, erosion and scale is proposed. The relative importance of each vegetation dimension for various erosion processes changes across scales. With the development of erosion features(i.e., splash, interrill, rill and gully), the main factor of vertical vegetation structures in controlling runoff and soil loss changes from aboveground biomass to roots. Plant diversity levels are correlated with vertical vegetation structures and play a key role at small scales, while vegetation patterns also maintain a critical function across scales(i.e., patch, slope, catchment and basin/region). Several topics for future study are proposed in this review, such as to determine efficient vegetation architectures for ecological restoration, to consider the dynamics of vegetation patterns, and to identify the interactions involving the three dimensions of vegetation.     

Variable vegetation cover and episodic sand movement on longitudinal desert sand dunes

Longitudinal (linear) sand dunes of the Simpson and Strzelecki dunefields in eastern central Australia present a paradox. Low levels of activity today stand in contrast to luminescence dating which has repeatedly shown deep deposits of sand on dune crests dating to within the late Holocene. In order to investigate the nature of dune activity in the Simpson–Strzelecki dunefield, vegetation and sand mobility were investigated by detailed vegetation survey and measurement of rippled area and loose sand depth of dunes at three sites along a climatic gradient. The response of both vegetation and sand movement to inter-annual climate variability was examined by repeat surveys of two sites in drought and non-drought conditions. Projected plant cover and plant + crust cover were found to have inverse linear relationships with rippled area and the area of deep loose sand. No relationship was found between these measures of sand movement and the plant frontal area index. A negative exponential relationship between equivalent mobile sand depth on dune surfaces and both vascular plant cover and vascular + crust cover was also found. There is no simple threshold of vegetation cover below which sand transport begins. Dunes with low perennial plant cover may form small dunes with slip faces leading to a positive feedback inhibiting ephemeral plant growth in wet years and accelerating sand transport rates. The linear dunefields are largely within the zone in which plant cover is sufficient to enforce low sand transport rates, and in which there is a strong response of vegetation and sand transport to inter-annual variation in rainfall. Both ephemeral plants (mostly forbs) and crust were found to respond rapidly to large (> 20 mm/month) rainfall events. On millennial time-scales, the level of dune activity is controlled by vegetation cover and probably not by fluctuations of wind strength. Land use or extreme, decadal time-scale, drought may destabilise dunes by removing perennial plant cover, accelerating wind erosion.     

基于地块汇流网络的小流域水沙运移模拟方法研究

全流域逐地块水土流失计算,是目前水土保持定量评价的重要手段,其实现过程既需要有考虑地貌因子和上下游关系的土壤侵蚀模型,也需要建立全流域地块汇流网络,并与侵蚀模型有机连接。本文针对黄土高原特殊的地理条件和水土流失规律,对传统的基于栅格的小流域汇流技术进行了改进,考虑地块间上下游汇流关系,建立了基于地块的水沙汇流网络模型,模拟水沙在流域复杂下垫面的汇流过程,提取出流域各地块间的水沙汇流网络,并计算出3个重要参数:流域地块间水沙汇流的顺序、流域地块间水沙汇流数目的空间分配、水沙流经各地块的坡长。将土壤侵蚀模型按地貌部位与特征分为坡面模型、沟坡模型和沟道输移模型,与地块汇流网络有机集成,实现了水沙运移的全流域按地块沿程计算。