Quantitative Investigations of Water Balances of a Dune-Interdune Landscape during the Growing Season in the Horqin Sandy Land, Northeastern China

Abstract

Dune-interdune is the main landscape pattern of desert areas, such as the Horqin sandy land of Northeastern China. Exploring the temporal and spatial variation of the water balance is crucial for efficient vegetation restoration at the micro-landform scale. The SWMS-2D model was used to estimate the seasonal variations of the water balance including evapotranspiration, soil water storage changes, lateral flow and drainage, and to examine the effects of micro-landforms (i.e., the top, upper, down, and bottom positions of the dune slope, and the interdune lowland area) on these components from May to October 2013 and 2015. Results showed that the soil water content was sensitive to rainfall pulses, particularly large precipitation events. Over 70% of the total evapotranspiration occurred from June to August, with a maximum daily value of 6.56 mm. At a monthly scale, evapotranspiration was not synchronous with precipitation. The ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation was 1.84, 0.39, 2.49, 0.93, 2.26, and 1.14 in May, June, July, August, September, and October 2013 (a wet year), respectively; and 2.40, 1.11, 0.69, 2.14, 1.07, and 1.11 in 2015 (a dry year), respectively. The components of the water balance were significantly different among different micro-landforms. Evapotranspiration of a lowland area was greater than that in other micro-landforms, and the value in the wet year (2013) was significantly greater than that in the dry year (2015). However, water consumption in the lowland area was similar in both years. At the top, upper, down, and bottom positions of the dune slope, the ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation in the wet year (2013) was 96%, 97%, 86%, and 96%, respectively; while in the dry year (2015), the ratio was 103%, 103%, 88%, and 104%. Therefore, in the dry year, evapotranspiration was generally larger than precipitation, indicating that almost all water from precipitation was evaporated. The lateral flow of the root zone from top to bottom accounted for only a small portion of water budget at the growing season scale. The results could be generalized to other similar region with corresponding model calibration, and would help to reveal seasonal variations of water balance components under the local topography, climate, soil, and vegetation conditions.

Building Envelope and the Outdoor Microclimate Variable of Vernacular Houses: Analysis on the Environmental Elements in Tropical Coastal and Mountain Areas of Indonesia

“…Buildings that have land with a high topography are more impressive than those with a low topography. Topography, soil, climate, and vegetation are four things that need to be considered in supporting the appearance of the building [45].…”

Soil water response to rainfall in a dune-interdune landscape in Horqin Sand Land, northern China

“…The SWMS-2D model was validated for the SWC of the study area with an RMSE of about 0.02 cm 3 /cm 3 (Figure 2, Zhou et al 2017), which indicated a good model performance.…”

“…Our study showed that when rainfall was less than 20 mm, maximum recharge depth at the toeslope position was similar to that at the top, upslope, and midslope positions; whereas in rainfalls under >20 mm, soil water recharge depth was larger at the toeslope position. This could be explained by water budget differences, with high-intensity rainfalls producing horizontal movement of soil water towards the toeslope and bottomland positions with larger plant cover and increasing the extent and depth of soil water recharge (Thomas et al 2008;Li et al 2013), and small rainfall events causing little surface runoff (Zhou et al 2017). Additionally, hydraulic properties differences controlled the infiltration characteristics and rainfall recharge depth of soil among micro-landforms (Zhai & Rahardjo 2015).…”

Assessment of the Role of Shelterbelts in Optimization of Soils and Landscapes: Literature Review of Information

“…Главной целью данной программы является создание «Великой Зеленой Стены» («Green Great Wall»), предназначенной для борьбы с опустыниванием, пыльными бурями, деградацией почв и дефицитом воды в ландшафтах [Li et al, 2017]. Исследования водного баланса в катенарных почвенных сопряжениях на территории с дюнным рельефом, покрытым караганой и тамариксом в песчаной области Северо-Восточного Китая (Horqin sandy land of Northeastern China) показали, что наименее благоприятными являются нижние части склонов дюн, эвапотранспирация с поверхности которых полностью перехватывает боковой сток, не доходящий до междюнных понижений [Zhou et al, 2017]. Исследование искусственных посадок караганы разного возраста и их влияния на плодородие песчаных почв в рассматриваемой области выявило закономерное накопление в почвах углерода органического вещества и азота (максимальное в слое 0-20 см, но распространяющееся до глубины 1 метра) по мере увеличения возраста лесонасаждений.…”