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Factors Affecting Soil Desiccation Spatial Variability in the Loess Plateau of China
Author(s) -
Zhao Chunlei,
Shao Ming'an,
Jia Xiaoxu,
Zhu Yuanjun
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2017.11.0391
Subject(s) - desiccation , environmental science , soil water , soil science , water content , evapotranspiration , vegetation (pathology) , grassland , loess , precipitation , soil horizon , hydrology (agriculture) , agronomy , geology , ecology , geography , biology , geomorphology , medicine , geotechnical engineering , pathology , meteorology
Core Ideas 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.