Spatiotemporal dynamics and drivers of wind erosion on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Abstract

Land degradation caused by wind erosion seriously threatens the supply of ecosystem services on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Assessing wind erosion variations is critical to identify key change areas and formulate desertification control strategies. In this study, we evaluated the spatiotemporal dynamics in wind erosion on the QTP from 1980 to 2015 using the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ). Furthermore, we analysed the spatial correlation between wind erosion dynamics, climate change and human activities and identified the main driving factors. The results showed that wind erosion intensity on the QTP increased continuously from southeast to northwest. Areas with moderate or high soil erosion intensity (>25 t·hm−2·a−1), accounting for 53.48% of the region, were mostly distributed on the western and northern areas of the plateau. The mean annual soil wind erosion modulus (SWEM) of the entire region during 1980–2015 was 32.08 t·hm−2·a−1, with an evident decline at a rate of approximately 0.14 t·hm−2·a−1 in this period. However, wind erosion increased significantly in 9.99% of the QTP, mainly in the northwestern part of the region. Areas with significant changes in wind erosion driven by climate change and human activities accounted for 54.74% and 18.89% of the plateau, respectively. The influence of climate change on wind erosion is characterized by large scale and spatial continuity, while the impact of human activities on wind erosion occurs in local areas and distributes in patches. This study has implications for spatially revealing the climate and human drivers of wind erosion changes and identifying pivotal zones for desertification prevention on the QTP.