Spatiotemporal Evolution of Soil Erosion and Its Driving Mechanism in the Mongolian Section of the Yellow River Basin

Tian Tian, Zhenqi Yang, Jianying Guo (), Tiegang Zhang, Ziwei Wang and Ping Miao
Additional contact information
Tian Tian: Yinshanbeilu National Field Research Station of Steppe Eco-Hydrological System, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Zhenqi Yang: Yinshanbeilu National Field Research Station of Steppe Eco-Hydrological System, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Jianying Guo: Yinshanbeilu National Field Research Station of Steppe Eco-Hydrological System, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Tiegang Zhang: Yinshanbeilu National Field Research Station of Steppe Eco-Hydrological System, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Ziwei Wang: Yinshanbeilu National Field Research Station of Steppe Eco-Hydrological System, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Ping Miao: Ordos River and Lake Protection Center, Erdos 017200, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Soil erosion is a popular environmental issue that threatens sustainability. Influenced by multiple factors, such as climate, soil, and terrain, Baotou City, which is in the Bohai Sea Economic Circle and the Economic Belt along the Yellow River, has a severe ecological environment. In this study, revised soil and soil wind erosion equations were used to evaluate the soil erosion dynamics in Baotou City, and the potential driving factors of soil erosion were further investigated. Results showed that from 1990 to 2020, the water erosion modulus in Baotou City increased first, decreased, and then increased, with great fluctuations in annual changes. The wind erosion modulus decreased continuously, with a small fluctuation in annual changes. Water erosion in 2020 was more severe, with 4840.5 km 2 added to the desert steppe and 1300.5 km 2 reduced in the Yellow River Basin. The extent of wind erosion was significantly reduced, and the phenomenon of wind erosion improved. Meteorological factors are the primary factors that influence soil water erosion and soil wind erosion. Meanwhile, adverse climate changes can alter physical and chemical soil properties and vegetation coverage, thereby indirectly influencing soil erosion. With the implementation of the Beijing–Tianjin sandstorm source control, the farmland return to forest project, the ecological restoration and protection project at the southern and northern foothills of Daqingshan Mountains, grazing prohibition, and rotation grazing—including grassland awards, subsidies, and other policies and systems during this period—the overall deteriorating trend of the grassland ecological environment in Baotou was contained, grassland ecological system functions were improved, wind and sand erosion was prevented, biodiversity was maintained, and the ecological service functions of soil and water conservation were guaranteed.

Keywords: grassland regions in Northern China; soil wind erosion; soil water erosion; Baotou City; ecological engineering (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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