Wind Erosion Climate Change in Northern China During 1981\u20132016

Abstract

Wind erosion is largely controlled by climate conditions. In this study, we examined the influences of changes in wind speed, soil wetness, snow cover, and vegetation cover related to climate change on wind erosion in northern China during 1981–2016. We used the wind erosion force, defined as wind factor in the Revised Wind Erosion Equation Model, to describe the effect of wind speed on wind erosion. The results show that wind erosion force presented a long-term decreasing trend in the southern Northwest, northern Northwest, and eastern northern China during 1981–2016. In the Gobi Desert, the wind erosion force presented for 1981–1992 a decreasing trend, for 1992–2012 an increasing trend, and thereafter a weakly decreasing trend. In comparison to wind speed, soil wetness and snow cover had weaker influences on wind erosion in northern China, while vegetation cover played a significant role in the decrease of wind erosion in the eastern northern China during 1982–2015.