Variation of wind erosion and its response to ecological programs in northern China in the period 1981–2015

Abstract

Wind erosion, an important topic of research on land-use and land-cover change, as well as global environmental change, is closely linked with social stability and regional or even global ecological security. In this study, wind erosion in the sandy regions of northern China in the period 1981–2015 was estimated using the revised wind erosion equation. Additionally, the rates of contribution of ecological programs to the variation of wind erosion in various sandy regions were also estimated. Results show the following. (1) In the period 1981–2015, the multi-year average amount of soil lost to wind erosion in northern China was 7.696 billion t. The area of the lightly wind-eroded regions accounted for 55.24 % of the total area of all the wind-eroded regions. (2) Under real climatic conditions, overall, there was a slight increase in the amount of wind erosion in the sandy regions of northern China in the 35-year period. There was a relatively significant change in wind erosion in regions with relatively low vegetation coverage. (3) Under average climatic conditions, overall, wind erosion in the sandy regions of northern China in the 35-year period decreased at an average rate of 6.11 million t·a−1. (4) On average, ecological programs contributed 34.46 % of the variation of wind erosion in northern China. Various sandy regions also exhibited notable spatial heterogeneity.