The effect of environmental factors on spatial variability in land use change in the high-sediment region of China’s Loess Plateau

In areas with topographic heterogeneity, land use change is spatially variable and influenced by climate, soil properties, and topography. To better understand this variability in the high-sediment region of the Loess Plateau in which soil loss is most severe and sediment diameter is larger than in other regions of the plateau, this study builds some indicators to identify the characteristics of land use change and then analyze the spatial variability as it is affected by climate, soil property, and topography. We build two indicators, a land use change intensity index and a vegetation change index, to characterize the intensity of land use change, and the degree of vegetation restoration, respectively. Based on a subsection mean method, the two indicators are then used to assess the spatial variability of land use change affected by climatic, edaphic, and topographic elements. The results indicate that： 1） Land use changed significantly in the period 1998-2010. The total area experiencing land use change was 42,302 km2, accounting for 22.57%of the study area. High-coverage grassland, other woodland, and forest increased significantly, while low-coverage grassland and farmland decreased in 2010 compared with 1998.2） Land use change occurred primarily west of the Yellow River, between 35 and 38 degrees north latitude. The four transformation types, including （a） low-coverage grassland to medium-coverage grassland, （b） medium-coverage grassland to high-coverage grassland, （c） farmland to other woodland, and （d） farmland to medium-coverage grassland, were the primary types of land use change, together constituting 60% of the area experiencing land use change. 3） The spatial variability of land use change was significantly affected by properties of dryness/wetness, soil conditions and slope gradient. In general, land use changed dramatically in semi-arid regions, remained relatively stable in arid regions, changed significantly in clay-rich soil, remained relatively stable in clay-poor soil, changed dramatically in steeper slopes, and remained relatively stable in tablelands and low-lying regions. The increase in vegetation coincided with increasing changes in land use for each physical element. These findings allow for an evaluation of the effect of the Grain to Green Program, and are applicable to the design of soil and water conservation projects on the Loess Plateau of China.     

Simulation on slope uncertainty derived from DEMs at different resolution levels： a case study in the Loess Plateau

Slope is one of the crucial terrain variables in spatial analysis and land use planning, especially in the Loess Plateau area of China which is suffering from serious soil erosion. DEM based slope extracting method has been widely accepted and applied in practice. However slope accuracy derived from this method usually does not match with its popularity. A quantitative simulation to slope data uncertainty is important not only theoretically but also necessarily to applications. This paper focuses on how resolution and terrain complexity impact on the accuracy of mean slope extracted from DEMs of different resolutions in the Loess Plateau of China. Six typical geomorphologic areas are selected as test areas, representing different terrain types from smooth to rough. Their DEMs are produced from digitizing contours of 1:10,000 scale topographic maps. Field survey results show that 5 m should be the most suitable grid size for representing slope in the Loess Plateau area. Comparative and math-simulation methodology was employed for data processing and analysis. A linear correlativity between mean slope and DEM resolution was found at all test areas, but their regression coefficients related closely with the terrain complexity of the test areas. If taking stream channel density to represent terrain complexity, mean slope error could be regressed against DEM resolution (X) and stream channel density (S) at 8 resolution levels and expressed as(0.0015S2 0.031S-0.0325)X-0.0045S2-0.155S 0.1625, with a R2 value of over 0.98. Practical tests also show an effective result of this model in applications. The new development methodology applied in this study should be helpful to similar researches in spatial data uncertainty investigation.     

The impact of cropland conversion on environmental effect in the Loess Plateau: a pilot study based on the national experimental bases

Conversion of cropland to forestry and grassland is an important method to reduce soil erosion and improve the biophysical environment in the Loess Plateau. The feasibility, methods, and environmental effects of cropland conversion were studied based on 11 typical watersheds of national experimental bases instead of different geographic areas of the Loess Plateau. Between 1986 and 2000, cropland, sloping cropland and non-agricultural land decreased by 8%, 92.5% and 8% respectively, while forestry increased by 15.7%. The land use change not only decreased annual soil erosion by 74%, but also increased vegetation coverage by 100% and improved the soil condition and biodiversity. This can be achieved by building basic farmland, increasing capital and scientific input, and planting trees and grasses according to the natural biophysical restrictions.     

黄土高原退耕还林(草)及其综合效应研究--以黄土高原国家试验示范区典型小流域为例

Conversion of cropland to forestry and grassland is an important method to reduce soil erosion and improve the biophysical environment in the Loess Plateau. The feasibility, methods, and environmental effects of cropland conversion were studied based on 11 typical watersheds of national experimental bases instead of different geographic areas of the Loess Plateau. Between 1986 and 2000,cropland, sloping cropland and non-agricultural land decreased by 8%, 92.5% and 8% respectively,while forestry increased by 15.7%. The land use change not only decreased annual soil erosion by 74%, but also increased vegetation coverage by 100% and improved the soil condition and biodiversity. This can be achieved by building basic farmland, increasing capital and scientific input,and planting trees and grasses according to the natural biophysical restrictions.     

基于Google Earth和MODIS陆地数据的农林地转换对地表温度的影响——以长江中下游及毗邻地区为例

揭示耕地与林地转换对地表温度的影响对于认识人类活动的气候与环境效应具有重要意义。基于卫星遥感数据的统计分析是揭示土地利用/覆盖变化对地表温度影响的重要手段。但是,在景观破碎度较高地区,混合像元问题成为使用这一技术手段的主要限制性因素,中国南方长江流域尤为典型。为突破这一限制,论文基于Google Earth高清影像,在1 km尺度上辨识了200对耕地与林地纯像元,进而利用MODIS陆地数据产品,对比分析了耕地与林地的地表温度(LST)、叶面积指数(LAI)、地表反照率(Albedo)之差。结果表明：耕地的LST高于林地,白天和夜间温度分别约偏高2.75 ℃和1.15 ℃,并且温差因季节而异,白昼温差呈双峰(分别是5月和10月,温差约3.18 ℃和3.33 ℃),夜间温差为单峰(7月,约2.46 ℃)。同时,温差因地而异,总体表现为西高东低,陕甘交界处的白昼温差最大,年平均约为3.83 ℃;安徽中南部温差最小,约为1.1 ℃。耕地与林地的LST之差主要由蒸散发的差异所致。林地的LAI较大,蒸散发较强,地表向大气的潜热通量较大,用于直接加热地表的感热相对偏少,因而LST相对偏低。上述结果表明近年来长江流域及毗邻地区的耕地转为林地通过增加蒸发产生了一定的致冷效应。     

The changing patterns of cropland conversion to built-up land in China from 1987 to 2010

Over the past few decades, built-up land in China has increasingly expanded with rapid urbanization, industrialization and rural settlements construction. The expansions encroached upon a large amount of cropland, placing great challenges on national food security. Although the impacts of urban expansion on cropland have been intensively illustrated, few attentions have been paid to differentiating the effects of growing urban areas, rural settlements, and industrial/transportation land. To fill this gap and offer comprehensive implications on framing policies for cropland protection, this study investigates and compares the spatio- temporal patterns of cropland conversion to urban areas, rural settlements, and industrial/ transportation land from 1987 to 2010, based on land use maps interpreted from remote sensing imagery. Five indicators were developed to analyze the impacts of built-up land expansion on cropland in China. We find that 42,822 km² of cropland were converted into built-up land in China, accounting for 43.8% of total cropland loss during 1987–2010. Urban growth showed a greater impact on cropland loss than the expansion of rural settlements and the expansion of industrial/transportation land after 2000. The contribution of rural settlement expansion decreased; however, rural settlement saw the highest percentage of traditional cropland loss which is generally in high quality. The contribution of industrial/transportation land expansion increased dramatically and was mainly distributed in major food production regions. These changes were closely related to the economic restructuring, urban-rural transformation and government policies in China. Future cropland conservation should focus on not only finding a reasonable urbanization mode, but also solving the “hollowing village” problem and balancing the industrial transformations.     

干旱区水资源约束下的生态退耕空间优化及权衡分析——以奇台县为例

干旱区耕地大规模扩张导致水资源超载、生态问题频发,亟须退地还水。因此,探索水资源约束下的生态退耕空间优化方案,不仅有助于解决干旱区面临的问题,还可为土地利用规划和决策提供参考。目前对退耕方案多效益矛盾的研究尚量化不足,有鉴于此,本文建立生态退耕空间优化配置及权衡分析模型,以新疆奇台县为研究区进行模型应用,构建了水资源约束下的生态退耕方案群,并设计保有耕地优先和保护生态优先等两种情景,利用蚁群优化算法实现了生态退耕的空间配置模拟与优化。结果表明:耕地面积在保有耕地优先情景将减至9.94万hm2,保护生态优先情景则为6.96万hm2;在此退耕过程中,河道内生态用水占水资源总量的比例从10%增加到30%,防固沙量由713.22万t增加至816.59万t,经济效益则由34.86亿元下降至24.75亿元。通过比较单位经济效益的减少比例可产生的生态效益增加比例,确定耕地面积退至8.35万hm2时是权衡生态和经济效益下的生态退耕最优方案。退耕还草主要发生在奇台县耕地集中区的东北、西北及西南部边缘,将有利于北部的沙漠化防控和南部的水源保护。本研究实现了干旱区水资源约束下生态退耕方案空间模拟和优化,对农...     

黄土丘陵小流域土地利用结构对土壤水分时空分布的影响

本项研究选择黄土丘陵沟壑区５种典型土地利用结构和７种主要土地利用类型从１９８年５月到１０月鳘吉测定一次土壤水分,探讨了土地利用结构和类型对土壤水分时空分布的影响。研究结果表明,土壤水分年内季节变化呈现出三峰三谷;林地和间作地对土壤水分有滞后作用;垂直梯度变化可归纳为增长型、降低型和波动型。通过分析５种土地利用结构对坡面土壤水分的影响,指出了调整土地利用结构与布局、发展农果间作和培育深根性植物是黄土     

The impact of dynamic change of cropland on grain production in Jilin

The quantity and quality changes of cropland in Jilin province are analyzed by combining the statistics from 1949 to 1999 and land-use maps interpreted from TM images in 1986 and in 2000. In general, the decreasing trend of the cropland in Jilin province was derived from the statistic data in 1949-1999. While since 1983, the cropland area has increased slightly, because of the conversion from other land-use types to cropland. It is showed that the net increase of cropland was about 43.40×104 ha. While the quality change of the cropland can be seen from that mainly caused by the conversion from forestland, grassland to cropland and the change mainly took place in the west, where it is ecologically fragile. According to the spatial distribution model, the centroids' move of the cropland and the grain production are calculated, whose directions are not consistent. The impact of the dynamic change of the cropland on food security is further analyzed.     

吉林省耕地变化对粮食生产的影响

1IntroductionThe quantity and quality of cropland guarantees the grain production (Feng, 2000), and the essence of cropland security is food security. Cropland security means the stability of total quantity of cropland, which also means stable quality, potential productivity and regional balance (Feng, 2000). With the development of urbanization and industrialization, more and more cropland is encroached, especially the cropland with great market-value (Cai, 2000; Ge, 2002; Richard, 2002), w…     

The effect of environmental factors on spatial variability in land use change in the high-sediment region of China’s Loess Plateau

In areas with topographic heterogeneity, land use change is spatially variable and influenced by climate, soil properties, and topography. To better understand this variability in the high-sediment region of the Loess Plateau in which soil loss is most severe and sediment diameter is larger than in other regions of the plateau, this study builds some indicators to identify the characteristics of land use change and then analyze the spatial variability as it is affected by climate, soil property, and topography. We build two indicators, a land use change intensity index and a vegetation change index, to characterize the intensity of land use change, and the degree of vegetation restoration, respectively. Based on a subsection mean method, the two indicators are then used to assess the spatial variability of land use change affected by climatic, edaphic, and topographic elements. The results indicate that: 1) Land use changed significantly in the period 1998-2010. The total area experiencing land use change was 42,302 km2, accounting for 22.57% of the study area. High-coverage grassland, other woodland, and forest increased significantly, while low-coverage grassland and farmland decreased in 2010 compared with 1998. 2) Land use change occurred primarily west of the Yellow River, between 35 and 38 degrees north latitude. The four transformation types, including (a) low-coverage grassland to medium-coverage grassland, (b) medium-coverage grassland to high-coverage grassland, (c) farmland to other woodland, and (d) farmland to medium-coverage grassland, were the primary types of land use change, together constituting 60% of the area experiencing land use change. 3) The spatial variability of land use change was significantly affected by properties of dryness/wetness, soil conditions and slope gradient. In general, land use changed dramatically in semi-arid regions, remained relatively stable in arid regions, changed significantly in clay-rich soil, remained relatively stable in clay-poor soil, changed dramatically in steeper slopes, and remained relatively stable in tablelands and low-lying regions. The increase in vegetation coincided with increasing changes in land use for each physical element. These findings allow for an evaluation of the effect of the Grain to Green Program, and are applicable to the design of soil and water conservation projects on the Loess Plateau of China.     

基于MODIS数据网格化重建历史耕地空间分布的方法——以清代云南省为例

建立具有准确空间属性的历史时期土地覆被数据集有助于更好地模拟土地覆被变化的过程及其效应。本文基于我国过去300年耕地面积总体呈持续增加的特点,提出了历史时期耕地分布范围未超出现代耕地范围的合理假设,并以地表高程和坡度为影响土地宜垦程度的主导因子,评估了MODIS土地覆被产品中现代耕地分布区域的宜垦程度,再按宜垦程度从高...