Loess Thickness Variations Across the Loess Plateau of China

Zhu, Yanhui; Jia, Xiaoxu; Shao, Mingan

doi:10.1007/s10712-018-9462-6

Cited by 138 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The region covers an area of 6.4 × 10 5 km 2 with an elevation of 1200 to 1600 m above sea level. The thickness of the loess generally ranges from 30 to 80 m (Jia et al, 2015b; Zhu et al, 2018). The mean annual temperature is 14.3°C in the southeast decreasing to 3.6°C in the northwest.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The LP of China covers an area of about 6.4 × 10 5 km 2 . This region is well‐known for having thick loess deposits and severe soil erosion (Zhao et al, 2016a; Zhu et al, 2018). To control soil erosion and restore the environment in the region, the Chinese Government initiated the “Grain‐for‐Green” project in 1999 and has substantially improved the natural environment by increasing the vegetation cover.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Factors Affecting Soil Desiccation Spatial Variability in the Loess Plateau of China

Zhao

Shao

Jia

et al. 2019

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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Soil desiccated patterns varied with soil layers in the Loess Plateau (LP). Soil in grassland and forestland was more desiccated than that in cropland. Soil desiccation in the LP was jointly controlled by climate and non‐climate factors. Soil desiccation has occurred widely across the Loess Plateau (LP) of China because of excessive depletion of soil water by artificial ecosystems and limited long‐term rainfall recharge. This may lead to soil degradation and failure of afforestation efforts, which threatens ecosystem health in the LP. However, spatial characteristics and controlling factors of soil water generally vary within different soil layers. This has implications of vegetation recovery in the LP and has been overlooked in previous studies. This study investigates the spatial characteristics of soil desiccation in different layers from the 0‐ to 5‐m depth across the entire LP and explores the relationships between soil desiccation and environmental factors. The soil desiccated index (SDI) in the 0‐ to 1‐m soil layer was patchy, while in the 1‐ to 5‐m soil layer, the degree of soil desiccation generally increased from southeast to northwest following a gradient of decreasing rainfall. Soil desiccation in the forestland and grassland were more severe than that in the cropland because of higher evapotranspiration, lower precipitation recharge and lower soil water holding capacity. Soil desiccation at the shallow depth (0–1 m) was mainly attributed to climate factors whereas deep soil desiccation (1–5 m depth) was more likely attributed to the joint effects of climate factors and non‐climate factors. The results of this study can help develop practical sustainable land management practices, regional water budgets and help restoration of environment in the LP of China.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Factors Affecting Soil Desiccation Spatial Variability in the Loess Plateau of China

Zhao

Shao

Jia

et al. 2019

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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“…The mean depth to groundwater, i.e., the mean thickness of the vadose zone, was calculated as 54.8 m and, consequently, the mean thickness of the deep vadose zone is 49.8 m (=54.8 − 5 m). The mean thickness of the loess (vadose and saturated zones) is 92.2 m (Zhu et al, 2018); thus, the mean thickness of the saturated zone is 37.4 m (= 92.2 − 54.8 m).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Loess is a clastic, predominantly silt‐sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind‐blown dust, and it or similar sediments cover 10% of the Earth's land surface (Liu, 1985; Smalley et al, 2011). The Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) has the largest and thickest loess deposits (92.2 m on average) around the world and is implementing revegetation to remediate its fragile ecosystem under the conditions of limited water resources, soil erosion, and highly frequent human activities (Liu, 1985; Fu et al, 2017; Zhu et al, 2018, 2019). The revegetation, i.e., the “Grain for Green” initiative, has greatly changed the ecological and hydrological systems in the CLP, typically represented by a significant increase in vegetation coverage, widely distributed dried soil layers, and sharp decreases in runoff and sediment discharging into the Yellow River (Wang et al, 2009, 2016; Feng et al, 2016; Wei et al, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

Capacity and Distribution of Water Stored in the Vadose Zone of the Chinese Loess Plateau

Zhu

Jia

Qiao

et al. 2019

Vadose Zone Journal

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Vadose zone water is up to 3.1 × 1012 m3 in the Chinese Loess Plateau. The deep vadose zone (below 5 m) stores 92.4% of the total vadose zone water. Vadose zone water distribution is uneven, depending on loess thickness and precipitation. Vadose zone water accounts for 42.1% of water resources in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Water stored in the vadose (unsaturated) zone provides the majority of water required by plants and buffers water resources; thus, it is central to understanding ecological and hydrological processes in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) with its thick loess deposits. We used multisource data on soil water content (SWC) and vadose zone thickness, combined with a spatial interpolation method, to quantify the vadose zone water and further deduce the water resource composition in the CLP. Vadose zone water is approximately 3.1 × 1012 m3 (±27.5%) in the CLP, 92.4% of which is stored in the deep vadose zone (>5 m and above the groundwater table). The water resources composition of the CLP comprises precipitation, river water, vadose zone water, and the saturated zone water (shallow groundwater), accounting for 2.1, 0.1, 42.1, and 55.7%, respectively. Although a large amount of water exists in the vadose zone, the SWCs in the upper (<5 m) and deep vadose zones are 47.4 and 65.3%, respectively, of the mean field capacity, both being at a low level. Our findings bridge the knowledge gaps on the deep vadose zone water and water resources composition in the CLP, providing the basis for decision‐making on balancing revegetation and water resources conservation.

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“…The Loess Plateau is a typical arid and semi-arid region with loess thickness of 0-350 m (Zhu et al 2018), where the groundwater level is low. Rainfall is almost the only source of soil water supply and most of them are heavy hard rain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish-Scale Pits with Diversion Holes Enhance Water Conservation in Semi-arid Loess Soil: Experiments with Soil Columns, Mulching, and Simulated Rainfall

Zheng

Wang

et al. 2019

J Soil Sci Plant Nutr

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Fish-scale pits, as one of the most important ecological engineering in semi-arid areas, especially in the Loess Plateau, China, effectively reduced water and soil loss by intercepting runoff. However, the water saved by the pits is mainly accumulated in the upper soil layer and thus easily loosed by ineffective evaporation. In this study, soil column simulation experiments were conducted to observe the effects of diversion holes on soil evaporation and soil water distribution in the loessial soil under two rainfall depths and different soil surface treatments. The soil samples were passed through a 2-mm sieve. The soil filling height and the soil volume was 140 cm and 54,652.17 cm 3 in each soil column, respectively. For each treatment, there were three replicates. The results showed that gravel-mulching (GM), straw-mulching (SM), and diversion hole (DH) significantly decreased soil water evaporation compared with non-mulching (CK) under the different rainfall depths (P < 0.05). Under rainfall of 100 mm, the DH, GM, and SM caused an increase in the soil water content (SWC) in the 80-120 cm layer by 101.0%, 23.6%, and 65.5%, respectively. Under rainfall of 30 mm, CK increased SWC in the 0-40 cm layer, both GM and SM increased the SWC in the 0-60 cm layer, and the DH treatment allowed an increase in the 0-120 cm layer. Our results suggest that DH was a better measure to reduce soil evaporation and improve rainfall resource utilization, especially under high rainfall events. Our research provides scientific basis for the technology of soil deep spatiotemporal control and is of great significance to the balance and restoration of the ecological environment in the semi-arid Loess Plateau.

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Loess Thickness Variations Across the Loess Plateau of China

Cited by 138 publications

References 20 publications

Factors Affecting Soil Desiccation Spatial Variability in the Loess Plateau of China

Factors Affecting Soil Desiccation Spatial Variability in the Loess Plateau of China

Capacity and Distribution of Water Stored in the Vadose Zone of the Chinese Loess Plateau

Fish-Scale Pits with Diversion Holes Enhance Water Conservation in Semi-arid Loess Soil: Experiments with Soil Columns, Mulching, and Simulated Rainfall

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