Identifying and Mapping the Spatial Factors That Control Soil Erosion Changes in the Yellow River Basin of China

Jinwei Guo, Yanbing Qi (), Luhao Zhang, Jiale Zheng, Jingyan Sun, Yuanyuan Tang and Xiangyun Yang
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Jinwei Guo: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Yanbing Qi: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Luhao Zhang: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Jiale Zheng: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Jingyan Sun: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Yuanyuan Tang: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Xiangyun Yang: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: The Yellow River Basin has been considered to have the most serious soil erosion in the world, and identifying and mapping the spatial controlling factors would be of great help in adopting targeting strategies for soil erosion prevention. This study used the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) to estimate the spatial and temporal changes in soil erosion from 1985 to 2020 and analyzed the controlling factors. The results indicated that from 1985 to 2020, the average erosion modulus in the Yellow River Basin was 1160.97 t∙km −2 ∙yr −1 , and the erosion modulus in the middle reach was significantly greater than in the lower and upper reaches. Changes in vegetation coverage, rainfall and land use controlled 38.95%, 40.87% and 9.21% of soil erosion changes, respectively. Among them, the area in which soil erosion was decreased due to increased vegetation coverage accounted for 70.77% of the area controlled by vegetation coverage, while the area in which soil erosion was increased due to increased rainfall accounted for 86.62% of the area controlled by rainfall. These results prove the effectiveness of vegetation restoration projects in controlling soil erosion in the Yellow River Basin, but more attention needs to be paid to the impact of rainfall on soil erosion in the future.

Keywords: Yellow River Basin; soil loss; spatial controlling factors; vegetation restoration projects; rainfall (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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