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Measuring Compound Soil Erosion by Wind and Water in the Eastern Agro–Pastoral Ecotone of Northern China

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  • Degen Lin

    (Business School International Department, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
    College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China
    State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    Academy of Plateau Science Sustainability, The People‘s Government of Qinghai Province—Beijing Normal University, Xining 810008, China)

  • Peijun Shi

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    Academy of Plateau Science Sustainability, The People‘s Government of Qinghai Province—Beijing Normal University, Xining 810008, China
    Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, MOE, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Ministry of Emergency Management & Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Michael Meadows

    (College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China
    Department of Environmental & Geographical Science, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
    School of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China)

  • Huiming Yang

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    School of Geography and Ocean Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
    School of Land and Tourism, Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang 471934, China)

  • Jing’ai Wang

    (College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China
    State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    Academy of Plateau Science Sustainability, The People‘s Government of Qinghai Province—Beijing Normal University, Xining 810008, China
    Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, MOE, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Gangfeng Zhang

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, Ministry of Emergency Management & Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Zhenhua Hu

    (Business School International Department, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China)

Abstract

Land degradation induced by soil erosion is widespread in semiarid regions globally and is common in the agro–pastoral ecotone of northern China. Most researchers identify soil erosion by wind and water as independent processes, and there is a lack of research regarding the relative contributions of wind and water erosion and the interactions between them in what is referred to here as compound soil erosion (CSE). CSE may occur in situations where wind more effectively erodes a surface already subject to water erosion, where rainfall impacts a surface previously exposed by wind erosion, or where material already deposited by wind is subject to water erosion. In this paper, we use the Chinese Soil Loss Equation (CSLE) and the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) to calculate the rate of soil erosion and map the distribution of three types of soil erosion classified as (i) wind (wind-erod), (ii) water (water-erod), and (iii) CSE (CSE-erod) for the study area that spans more than 400,000 km 2 of sand- and loess-covered northern China. According to minimum threshold values for mild erosion, we identify water-erod, wind-erod, and CSE-erod land as occurring across 41.41%, 13.39%, and 27.69% of the total area, while mean soil erosion rates for water-erod, wind-erod, and CSE-erod land were calculated as 6877.65 t km −2 yr −1 , 1481.47 t km −2 yr −1 , and 5989.49 t km −2 yr −1 , respectively. Land subject to CSE-erod is predominantly distributed around the margins of those areas that experience wind erosion and water erosion independently. The CSLE and RWEQ do not facilitate a direct assessment of the interactions between wind and water erosion, so we use these equations here only to derive estimates of the relative contributions of wind erosion and water erosion to total soil erosion and the actual mechanisms controlling the interactions between wind and water erosion require further field investigation. It is concluded that CSE is an important but underappreciated process in semiarid regions and needs to be accounted for in land degradation assessments as it has substantial impacts on agricultural productivity and sustainable development in regions with sandy and/or loess-covered surfaces.

Suggested Citation

  • Degen Lin & Peijun Shi & Michael Meadows & Huiming Yang & Jing’ai Wang & Gangfeng Zhang & Zhenhua Hu, 2022. "Measuring Compound Soil Erosion by Wind and Water in the Eastern Agro–Pastoral Ecotone of Northern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:10:p:6272-:d:820725
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hua Zhang & Li Zhuang, 2019. "The impact of soil erosion on internal migration in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Guokun Chen & Zengxiang Zhang & Qiankun Guo & Xiao Wang & Qingke Wen, 2019. "Quantitative Assessment of Soil Erosion Based on CSLE and the 2010 National Soil Erosion Survey at Regional Scale in Yunnan Province of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-23, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ammar Ak. Ali & Alaa M. Al-Abbadi & Fadhil K. Jabbar & Hassan Alzahrani & Samie Hamad, 2023. "Predicting Soil Erosion Rate at Transboundary Sub-Watersheds in Ali Al-Gharbi, Southern Iraq, Using RUSLE-Based GIS Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-14, January.

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