Effects of Cropland Conversion and Climate Change on Agrosystem Carbon Balance of China’s Dryland: A Typical Watershed Study

Chaofan Li, Qifei Han, Geping Luo, Chengyi Zhao, Shoubo Li, Yuangang Wang and Dongsheng Yu
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Chaofan Li: Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, School of Geographic Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Qifei Han: Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, School of Geographic Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Geping Luo: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Chengyi Zhao: Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disaster, School of Geographic Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Shoubo Li: Land Science Research Center, School of Geographic Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Yuangang Wang: Housing Expropriation and Compensation Management Office, Shuimogou District of Urumqi, Urumqi 830017, China
Dongsheng Yu: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Remarkable warm‒wet climate shifts and intensive cropland expansion strongly affected carbon (C) cycle and threaten agricultural sustainability in northwest China. In this study, we integrated a process-based ecosystem model and an empirical C bookkeeping model to investigate the coupled and isolated effects of arable land conversions and climate change (CLM) on regional C balance in a typical watershed of northwest China. Results revealed that the farmland area increased by 3367.31 km 2 during 1979–2014. The combined effects of CLM with net cropland expansion enlarged the vegetation C (VEGC) and the soil organic C (SOC) stock by 2.83 and 11.83 Tg, respectively, and were strongest in 2008–2014. The conversions between desert grassland and cropland were the major driving forces for regional C balance. Cropland expansion shared equal effects on VEGC increase with CLM, but its effect on SOC increment was 53 times larger than CLM’s. VEGC was more responsive to CLM, whereas SOC gained more benefits from land management. The C sink from reclamation suffered from high water consumption and is facing great threats due to glaciers and mountain lake shrinking and groundwater overpumping. Water-saving irrigation techniques and environmentally friendly water use strategies are essential for local agricultural sustainability.

Keywords: cropland expansion; climate change; carbon balance; northwest China; AEM model; C bookkeeping model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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