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Precipitation is the major cause of yield variation in rainfed agriculture production on the Loess Plateau. Overfertilization is economically and environmentally undesirable. Optimizing nitrogen management based on fallow season precipitation is crucial for enhancing crop water use efficiency and achieving high yields in dryland/rainfed farming systems, considering the economic and environmental drawbacks of overfertilization and the uncertainty of crop yield and N input returns under high rainfall variability. Therefore, this study establishes a reference range that characterizes different wheat cultivation year types based on 37 years of fallow season precipitation data. The reference range for describing years as normal (220.7–346.2 mm), dry (< 220.7 mm), or wet (> 346.2 mm) is based on a 37-year precipitation record. At the same time, an 8 year field experiment (A randomized block design) was conducted using 7 N rates(0, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240 kg N ha-1 to explore the prediction of PF on optimal N input for higher yield and water use efficiency (WUE). Optimum nitrogen (N) rates varied with the precipitation factor, being 150, 150–180, and 210 kg ha− 1 during dry, normal, and wet years respectively. Maximizing yield and water use efficiency (WUE) through optimized N input was primarily attributed to an increase in spike number per hectare. A non-linear regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between yield and precipitation frequency (PF), with an increase in yield ranging from 1.6 to 15 kg ha-1 for every mm increment in PF. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that an increase of 1% in the ratio of PF to total precipitation resulted in a significant yield gain of 46 kg ha-1.And as "drought at sowing" effects on yield were more adverse than "drought in growing season" effects in dryland systems, our results indicate that adjusting N fertilizer inputs based on summer rainfall variation could enhance wheat yield and WUE in the rainfed farming system. Thus, our results indicate that adjusting N fertilizer inputs based on seasonal variation in summer rainfall could enhance wheat yield and WUE in the rain-fed farming system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining transpiration characteristics and water use strategies of economic tree species is crucial for adaptability evaluations and orchard management in semi-arid areas. This research focused on peach (Prunus persica), walnut (Juglans regia L.), and apple (Malus pumila) trees to quantify variations in sap flow using the thermal dissipation probe method over two consecutive years on the Loess Plateau of China. We calculated transpiration (Tr) and canopy conductance (gc) for the three tree species, and monitored meteorological factors, soil water content (SWC), and leaf area index (LAI). On sunny days, the diurnal results revealed single-peak curves of sap flux densities for all three tree species, with peach and apple trees exhibiting earlier peak times than walnut trees. Tr and gc values varied in accordance with the intrinsic phenology of each tree species. The environmental and physiological factors affecting Tr differed among the three species, and Rs was the primary meteorological influencing factor affecting the Tr of peach and apple trees, while walnut trees Tr was mainly controlled by VPD. No significant correlations occurred between daily Tr and relative extractable water (REW) for any of the tree species. However, on a monthly scale, LAI positively correlated with Tr for peach and walnut trees but not for apple trees. Furthermore, the water use strategies differed among the three tree species, with peach and apple trees exhibiting higher stomatal sensitivity than walnut trees. These findings highlight the impact of tree phenology on seasonal variations in Tr and gc, leading to different influencing factors for transpiration among the three species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land creation projects in mountainous regions of China, aimed to expand urban areas, have disrupted the local hydrological balance and introduced various engineering challenges. The significant gravitational stress exerted by filling depressions in the mountainous loess landscape impacts water transport beneath the artificial plains, making it crucial to analyze the permeability characteristics of saturated or unsaturated loess under significant stress. This study, based on the results of moisture and soil pressure monitoring, involved a series of flexible wall permeability tests and stress-dependent soil–water characteristic curve (SDSWCC) tests under stress levels ranging from 0 to 500 kPa. The mesoscale mechanisms were investigated through the application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The findings indicate a substantial reduction in the saturated permeability coefficient of compacted loess as stress levels increase. The water retention capacity of the loess diminishes with rising stress and suction, while stress predominantly governs intergranular pore water loss and volume shrinkage in the loess. The unsaturated permeability curve of stressed loess follows an exponential function. Under stressed conditions, a 10% increase in the water content of loess is expected to result in approximately one order of magnitude increase in unsaturated permeability. Intergranular pores in the loess are selectively compromised, with a concurrent emergence of a limited count of intragranular pores. The reduction in loess porosity stands as the primary cause for the decline in its permeability. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for forecasting groundwater behavior subsequent to extensive loess filling activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change can significantly alter the proportion of soil aggregates, thereby influencing aggregate stability and distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC). However, there is minimal research on the variations in the distribution of soil aggregates, aggregate stability, and SOC in soil aggregates following land use change from farmland (FL) to forest and grassland in the Loess Plateau region of China. Select six land use patterns (farmland (FL), abandoned cropland (ACL), Medicago sativa (MS), natural grassland (NG), Picea asperata Mast. (PA), Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco (PO)) on the Loess Plateau in China and collect undisturbed soil samples. These six land use patterns have similar geographical characteristics. The distribution of aggregates and the aggregate-associated SOC contents under the six land use patterns were measured at the 0–10 cm, 10–30 cm and 30–50 cm depths. The results showed that forestland and grasslands converted from FL significantly increased the aggregates (> 5 mm) content, mean weight diameter (MWD), and geometric mean diameter (GMD) but decreased the aggregates (< 0.25 mm) content. Compared with FL, the values at the 0–50 cm depth under PA, NG, MS, PO and ACL increased by 473.71–732.55%, 283.98–724.60%, 179.06–634.12%, 142.31–413.50% and 110.25–213.34%, respectively, for MWD and by 244.04–607.77%, 141.68–666.67%, 52.39–483.33%, 50.49–214.43%, and 35.23–64.29%, respectively, for GMD. Land use patterns and soil aggregate size had obvious influences on SOC content, SOC content in soil and aggregates decreased under ACL. In other forestland and grasslands, The SOC content in bulk soil, > 5 mm, 2–5 mm, 1–2 mm, 0.5–1 mm, 0.25–0.5 mm, and < 0.25 mm aggregates at the 0–50 cm depth after afforestation increased by 20.75–125.87%, 14.50–163.64%, − 11.86–118.18%, 9.65–150.95%, 38.28–126.49%, 51.26–165.87% and − 15.59–163.37%, respectively, Compared to FL. The contributions of different aggregates particle sizes to the increase in SOC content in bulk soil were 104.74%, 7.86%, 4.76%, 6.23%, 5.37%, and − 21.97%, respectively. MWD and GMD were positively correlated with SOC content in aggregates (1 mm), SOC content in bulk soil and aggregates. Although SOC content in bulk soil and different aggregates particle sizes under NG and PA were significantly higher that than under MS and PO, the soil macroaggregate content, MWD, and GMD under PO and NG were higher than that under PA and MS. These findings suggest that converted FL into PO and NG significantly improved soil structure and also increased SOC content. Therefore, in the process of transforming land use patterns on the Loess Plateau, the proportion of forest land and grassland should be appropriately increased to improve soil carbon storage and quality. The results of this study provides a theoretical basis and scientific basis for the scientific evaluation and understanding of soil organic carbon accumulation and distribution under different land use patterns in the Loess Plateau region of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of cities seriously threatens the sustainable development of agriculture in China. Exploring the evolution law and influencing mechanism of agricultural regional system in the process of urbanization is of great significance for promoting sustainable development of agriculture in China. This paper takes the Loess Plateau (LP) as an example, and constructs a research framework to study the effect of urbanization on agricultural regional system through the lens of human-earth interaction, aiming at elucidating the evolutionary characteristics of agricultural regional system and revealing the impact law of urbanization. The results show that: (1) The growth trend of the evolution index of the agricultural regional system in the LP was significant, gradually evolving into a spatial pattern of "high in the north and south, low in the east and west". (2) The hot spot and sub-hot spot zones of the agricultural regional system evolution index in the LP were mainly distributed in the south and north, while the cold spot and sub-cold spot zones were primarily located in the center, east and west. (3) The levels of agricultural mechanization, agricultural land productivity, cropland area, and agricultural labor productivity were the main internal influencing factors of the agricultural regional system in the LP. The obstacle degree of agricultural mechanization level, cropland area, and the proportion of agricultural employees increased over time, while the obstacle degree of agricultural land productivity and grain yield capacity decreased. (4) The impact of population urbanization in the LP showed a spatial pattern of "inhibition in the southeast and promotion in the northwest", the impact of economic urbanization was dominated by inhibition, and the impact of land urbanization showed a spatial pattern of "promotion in the whole and inhibition in the local". This study provides ideas for the comprehensive research on the evolution and influencing factors of agricultural regional system, and offers practical references for achieving sustainable agricultural development in LP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loess internal erosion caused by preferential flow often leads to serious loess ground collapse, shallow loess landslides, and other geological disasters. However, there is a lack of quantitative evaluation of the internal erodibility of undisturbed loess under the action of preferential flow, and little is known about the correlation between the internal erodibility of loess and its microstructure. In this study, we carried out a series of hole erosion tests (HET) on undisturbed loess samples from 4 typical locations on China's Loess Plateau. The internal erodibility of loess was quantitatively evaluated through an improved HET method, and its association with initial water content, clay content, and initial water head difference was investigated. On the microscopic scale, the microstructure of loess with different clay content was measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The correlation between pore and particle microstructure parameters and loess internal erosion parameters was established based on grey correlation theory. When the initial water content increased from 10% to 36%, the erodibility index increased from 1 to 2.5. When the clay content increased from 8% to 27.95%, the erodibility index increased 3.5 times. The increase of initial water head difference has a positive linear effect on the internal erodibility of loess. The microstructure analysis shows that with the increase of clay content, the microstructure of undisturbed loess changes from a mosaic structure to a cementation structure, which creates favourable conditions for controlling the internal erosion of loess. Through grey correlation analysis, it has been determined that the microstructure of undisturbed loess has a significant correlation with the critical shear stress, and the loess microstructure morphology strongly correlates with the erosion rate. Under normal circumstances, the higher the clay content, the better the erosion resistance, the better the mechanical stability, and the easier to form a stable cave in loess. This study can provide a reference for revealing the cave formation mechanism in the loess area in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On February 17 2023, a landslide occurred on a highway slope along the Xiaolangdi Reservoir of the Yellow River, involving approximately 1,200 m3. This event directly resulted in road interruption and had profound social repercussions. This paper researches the landslide using a combination of field investigation, remote sensing imagery, laboratory tests, and numerical simulation. It traces the evolution of landslide occurrences influenced by human engineering activities and investigates the mechanisms by considering climatic factors, water levels fluctuations, and stress changes. The results indicate that: (1) fluctuations in water levels can reduce the stability coefficient of ancient landslides, albeit without directly triggering them. Moreover, alterations in soil stress induced by artificial excavation changes the distribution of the slope plastic zone, consequently altering potential sliding zones. (2) rainfall and temperature emerge as primary factors influencing the occurrence of accumulation landslides, it is particularly susceptible with the transition between winter and spring. (3) freeze-thaw action exerts significant pressure on sandstone bedding, which causes notable expansion deformation. Consequently, it is advisable to consider soil temperature and bedrock deformation when monitoring similar slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Loess Plateau, the impact of abandoned farmland on soil properties and enzyme activity, along with its temporal variations and potential driving factors, remains a mystery. This study was designed to systematically and comprehensively examine the variations in soil enzyme activities, particle size distribution, and stability of soil aggregates at different stages of ecological recovery in the Loess Plateau. Our findings reveal a nuanced temporal pattern: with the progression of cropland abandonment, there is a notable decrease in soil bulk density. Concurrently, a dynamic trend in enzyme activities is observed—initially exhibiting a decline, followed by an increase over extended periods of recovery. Notably, prolonged abandonment leads to marked enhancements in soil structure. Parameters such as the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of soil aggregates show an overall increasing trend. In terms of the Relative Dissipation Index (RSI), our data indicate a sequence of control > 2 years of abandonment > 4 years > 6 years > 14 years. From this, it can be seen that fallowing may be an effective natural restoration strategy for improving the physical structure of soils in the Loess Plateau and restoring soil nutrients. However, positive changes may take a long time to become evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the relationship between photosynthetic capacity and soil factors of typical plants in the semi-arid zone of the Loess Plateau and to quantitatively study the response of plant photosynthetic characteristics to soil factors, in this study, we used Li-6400 portable photosynthesis meter to measure the photosynthetic capacity of leaves of different life types of plants and fit their CO2 response curves, and we obtained the maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax), the maximum electron transfer rate (Jmax), mitochondrial respiration rate in light (Rd), triose phosphate use limitation (TPU) and Jmax/Vcmax ratio, etc. We also applied a GAM model to analyze the relationship between photosynthetic characteristics and soil factors. The results showed that: (1) With the increase of intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of different life types of plants increased almost linearly, and Pn increased with the increase of Ci at Ci < 500 μmol/mol, and then the growth rate gradually slowed down; under the condition of the same CO2 concentration, the size of Pn was ranked as herbs > trees > shrubs, and the Pn values of different life types of plants all reached the maximum in May and the minimum in July. (2) The photosynthetic parameters such as Vcmax and Jmax of leaves of trees, shrubs, and herbs were significantly different (P < 0.05), and the Vcmax, Jmax, Rd, and TPU were herb > tree > shrub, and Jmax /Vcmax ratio was shrub > herb > tree. (3) Based on the GAM model, we found that the six environmental factors on Pn were in the following order: Ta > PAR > STP > STN > SWC > SOM, and except for SOM, Pn was significantly and non-linearly correlated with the other environmental factors. Conclusions: Herbaceous plants are very competitive in their habitat. The differences in photosynthetic capacity of different types of plants may be related to their leaf structure and composition. Ta, PAR, SWC, and STN are the main factors affecting the magnitude of Pnmax. Therefore, according to the different degrees of influence of the environmental factors on the photosynthetic capacity of the plants, we can provide reasonable measures of replenishment for plant growth in other months and offer a good solution for the cultivation of plants and vegetation growth of plants in semi-arid areas of the Loess Plateau. It can provide a theoretical basis and data support for the cultivation of plants and the improvement of vegetation survival rate in the semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Afforestation is considered an effective strategy to improve soil carbon (C) and fertility in degraded drylands. However, how specific species identities (e.g., conifers or broadleaves) impact C and nutrient concentrations across deep soil layers remains uncertain. Methods: Three most important plantation forests, including plantations of native mono-species Pinus tabuliformis (coniferous species), exotic mono-species Robinia pseudoacacia (broadleaf and nitrogen-fixing species), and their mixed, were selected to explore their effects on soil organic C (SOC) and nutrient concentrations throughout soil profile (0–200 cm) in the Loess Plateau. Results: The results showed that soil C and nutrient concentrations were strongly affected by species identity. Specifically, R. pseudoacacia contained significantly higher SOC, total nitrogen (N), and ammonia N concentrations than other plantations at the top layer (0–60 cm), but R. pseudoacacia contained lower total phosphorus (P) concentrations than other plantations. In the deep layer (60–200 cm), R. pseudoacacia contained lower total N, nitrate N, and total P concentrations than other plantations. There was no significant difference in SOC concentration among plantation types in the deep layer. We found antagonistic effects of tree mixtures on soil P in the top and deep layers. Furthermore, microbial biomass C and N was the primary driver of SOC and N concentration in the top layer, respectively. Conversely, fine root biomass was the primary factor influencing N and P concentrations in the deep layer. This suggests that planting exotic R. pseudoacacia with higher root biomass has the potential to exacerbate soil N and P depletion in the deep layer. Conclusion: Our work emphasizes the key role of species identities in regulating soil nutrient concentrations, especially in the deep layer, and the importance of tree species selection in dryland afforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the area of "returning farmland to forest" on the Loess Plateau in China, it is difficult to cultivate artificially planted trees into forests. In the current study, abandoned cultivated land after 10 years of natural restoration served as controls (CK), while the treatments included afforestation periods of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years. Soil samples were collected from various depths: 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80, to 80–100 cm. The findings revealed that with increasing years of artificial afforestation, soil pH gradually increased, and soil moisture content rose in the 0–20 cm layer while declining in deeper layers (20–100 cm) in the Maxian Mountain region of the Loess Plateau. Moreover, the total carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content initially increased and then decreased with the duration of artificial afforestation, reaching peak values after 8 years. Contents of organic matter, ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the same soil layer increased with each year of afforestation. However, upon reaching 10 years of artificial afforestation, the effective nutrient content in the 60–80 and 80–100 cm soil layers exhibited a decrease. The values of Integrated Fertility Index (IFI) in different afforestation years were ranked as follows: 8 years > 6 years > 10 years > 4 years > 2 year, but all of them were significantly smaller than those of natural restoration plot CK (P < 0.05). Overall, soil fertility in the Maxian Mountain area of the Loess Plateau increases with each additional year of artificial afforestation. However, when the artificial afforestation period is 10 years, soil fertility decreases and marking a shift from enhancement to decline beyond this duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatiotemporal characteristics of heat wave (HW) is vital for both natural systems and human populations. The Loess Plateau is located in a climate transition zone and is highly sensitive to climate change. Therefore, it is crucial to study HW in this region. Based on instrumental measurements, climate model data, atmospheric circulation data and HW metrics, this study comprehensively analyses past and future HW changes in the Loess Plateau and the influencing factors. From 1961 to 2019, the metrics for daytime heat wave(DHW) and nighttime heat wave(NHW) were as follows: duration (9.28/9.72 days), frequency (1.34/1.4 times, mean intensity (6.24/4.69 °C), maximum intensity (7.83/6.05 °C), and cumulative heat (44.45/32.63 °Cd). All metrics displayed an increasing trend (p < 0.05(NHW)). Geographically, the northern Loess Plateau exhibited the highest intensity and cumulative heat, whereas the southern region experienced longer HW. The solar flux index, western Pacific subtropical high area index, and western Pacific subtropical high intensity index were identified as the primary factors influencing HW in the Loess Plateau. By the end of the 21st century, both the duration and cumulative heat of HW are projected to rise significantly. NHW, in particular, will see extended durations and greater cumulative heat compared to DHW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in water resource storage are inevitable due to climate change and human activities, thus understanding alterations in water storage within a specific region is imperative for the planning and management of water resources. Data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission are extensively employed to analyze large-scale total terrestrial water storage anomalies (TWSA). In this study, we derived a more reliable TWSA using different types of GRACE gravity models, which served as the basis for evaluating spatial and temporal variations in total terrestrial water storage and its hydrological components (soil moisture and groundwater) across the Loess Plateau. Additionally, we analyzed the impact of natural and anthropogenic influences on water storage in the Loess Plateau, categorizing them into primary and secondary influences, utilizing data on climate and human activities. The findings revealed a declining trend in the overall TWSA of the Loess Plateau, with a rate of decrease at - 0.65±0.05 cm/yr from 2003 to 2020 (P<0.01). As the direct factors affecting TWSA, soil moisture dominated the change of TWSA before 2009, and groundwater dominated the change of TWSA after 2009. Spatially, there was variability in the changes of TWSA in the Loess Plateau. More in-depth studies showed that soil moisture changes in the study area were primarily driven by evapotranspiration and temperature, with precipitation and vegetation cover status playing a secondary role. Human activities had a secondary effect on soil moisture in some sub-regions. Population change and agricultural development were major factors in altering groundwater storage in the study area. Other than that, groundwater was influenced by natural factors to a limited extent. These findings provided valuable insights for local governments to implement proactive water management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The China Loess Plateau is subjected to severe soil erosion triggered by intense rainfall, resulting in significant harm and losses to both human society and the natural surroundings. In this study, a novel technique for managing loess erosion is introduced, which involves the utilization of a combined polymer SH and ryegrass. A comprehensive series of tests were undertaken, including rainfall erosion tests, disintegration experiments, and scanning electron microscopy examinations, to assess the accumulative sediment yield (ASY), disintegration ratio, and microstructural features of both untreated and treated loess samples. The results showed a significant reduction in ASY with increased dry density of untreated loess. Furthermore, the combined technique effectively controlled erosion, limiting ASY to 266.2 g/cm2 in 60 minutes. This was approximately one-sixth, one-ninth, and one-fifteenth of the ASY in SH-treated loess (L-SH), ryegrass-treated loess (L-R), and untreated loess, respectively. It resisted disintegration better than ryegrass alone but slightly less than SH. This improvement was due to the combined effect of SH and ryegrass, which reduced raindrop impact, improved loess microstructure, and boosted ryegrass growth. The innovative technique holds the potential to be applied as a field-scale technique in the Loess Plateau region of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainwater is the main water source in arid and semiarid areas of the Loess Plateau, where rainfall is generally insufficient, ineffective and underutilized during the growing season. Thus, improving rainwater utilization efficiency is essential for sustainable agricultural development. A new system composed of rainwater harvesting, an infiltrator bucket with multiple holes and mulching (RHM), was designed to maintain soil moisture at a proper level in rain-fed orchards in arid and semiarid areas of the Loess Region of China. However, there is a lack of clarity on the effectiveness of RHM. In this study, changes in the soil environment and the growth and physiology of apricot trees were monitored via two treatments: (1) Rain-harvesting irrigation system (RHM) treatment and (2) traditional orchard treatment (CK) as a baseline. The results showed that (1) RHM could effectively improve soil water storage at depths of 0–45 cm and at a horizontal distance of 40 cm from the trunk. For the 1.4 mm light rain event, the soil water content increased by 6.3–12%, and for the two moderate rains, the soil water content increased by 12–25%. The change in the soil relative water content predicted by the LSTM model is consistent with the overall trend of the measured value and gradually decreases, and the prediction accuracy is high, with an error of 0.65. (2) The average soil temperatures at 5 cm, 20 cm and 40 cm under RHM were 17.0% (2.4 °C), 13.6% (1.9 °C) and 7.5% (1 °C) greater than those under CK, respectively. (3) Compared with the control treatment, RHM improved the growth and WUEL of apricot trees. The results highlighted the efficiency of the RHM system in enhancing the soil environment and regulating the growth and physiology of apricot trees, which has greater popularization value in arid and semiarid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate assessment of ecosystem service (ES) supply, demand, and flow is essential for identifying and enhancing the ES supply–demand relationship and promoting regional sustainable development. Based on the InVEST model, supply–demand ratio, coupling coordination analysis, breakpoint and field strength model, and GIS spatial analysis method, we evaluated the supply and demand of water yield, food supply, carbon storage, and soil conservation service in the Loess Plateau in 2000 and 2020 and analyzed the supply–demand relationship before and after considering the interregional ecosystem service flow (ESF). The results showed that (1) from 2000 to 2020, the supply and demand of the four types of ESs in the Loess Plateau increased. Before considering ESF, the surplus degree in water yield, food supply, and soil conservation increased, and carbon storage decreased. In most counties, the coupling coordination between the supply and demand of the soil conservation is mostly extreme incoordination and moderate incoordination, and other types of ESs are mostly reluctant coordination and moderate incoordination. The degree of incoordination in water yield and soil conservation have eased, while food supply and carbon storage have strengthened. For the comprehensive supply–demand relationship of ES, the degree of surplus and coordination increased, with most counties were in a state of surplus and coordination. (2) Water yield and soil conservation services flow primarily to the western and northwestern portions of the Loess Plateau, with a decrease in the number of flow paths but an increase in the total flow rate for the former and a decrease in flow paths and total flow rate for the latter. The food supply and carbon storage flow in all directions and the total flow rate increases, with a significant increase in the number of flow paths for carbon storage. (3) After considering ESF, the supply–demand relationship of each type of ES and the comprehensive ES supply–demand relationship are changed, in which the degree of surplus and coordination of deficit counties are significantly improved, and some counties even become surplus or improve the level of coordination. After considering ESF, the supply–demand ratio changes even more relative to the degree of coupling coordination. This study is of great significance for identifying the cross-regional transfer pattern of ES, understanding in-depth the dynamic supply–demand relationship of ES, and mitigating the mismatch between supply and demand of ES. It provides a scientific and objective theoretical basis for promoting regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring and forecasting the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation across the Loess Plateau emerge as critical endeavors for environmental conservation, resource management, and strategic decision-making processes. Despite the swift advances in deep learning techniques for spatiotemporal prediction, their deployment for future vegetation forecasting remains underexplored. This investigation delves into vegetation alterations on the Loess Plateau from March 2000 to February 2023, employing fractional vegetation cover (FVC) as a metric, and scrutinizes its spatiotemporal interplay with precipitation and temperature. The introduction of a convolutional long short-term memory network enhanced by an attention mechanism (CBAM-ConvLSTM) aims to forecast vegetation dynamics on the Plateau over the ensuing 4 years, leveraging historical data on FVC, precipitation, and temperature. Findings revealed an ascending trajectory in the maximum annual FVC at a pace of 0.42% per annum, advancing from southeast to northwest, alongside a monthly average FVC increment at 0.02% per month. The principal driver behind FVC augmentation was identified as the growth season FVC surge in warm-temperate semi-arid and temperate semi-arid locales. Precipitation maintained a robust positive long-term association with FVC (Pearson coefficient > 0.7), whereas the temperature–FVC nexus displayed more variability, with periodic complementary trends. The CBAM-ConvLSTM framework, integrating FVC, precipitation, and temperature data, showcased commendable predictive accuracy. Future projections anticipate ongoing greening within the warm-temperate semi-arid region, contrasted by significant browning around the Loess Plateau's peripheries. This research lays the groundwork for employing deep learning in the simulation of vegetation's spatiotemporal dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather generators can serve as an important tool for estimating the probability distributions of hydrometeorological variables to determine extreme rainfall quantiles. It is really of great significance for flood disaster management in data-deficient areas. The annual maximum daily rainfall (MDR) dataset was expanded in this study using a multi-site weather generator model coupled with maximum entropy resampling (MWG-MER), resulting in a sizable resampled dataset of extreme variables. The MDR records from 14 weather stations in the Jing River Basin were chosen to confirm the MWG-MER model's applicability on the Chinese Loess Plateau. There, the best-fitting probability distributions were discovered using the L-moments approach, and the resampled data was utilized to determine the spatial pattern of the probability distribution of MDR. The findings demonstrate that the MWG-MER model implemented a limited extrapolation and offered a larger resampling dataset that only used the first principal component to preserve the primary statistical properties of the observed MDR data. The resampling data had good fitting performance compared to the measured data at all sites and revealed different best-fit probability distributions from the measured data at some sites, implying an improvement in the MWG-MER model's distribution fitting accuracy. With the aid of the resampling data, the spatial pattern of the MDR distribution in the Jing River Basin was discovered, and more logical partitions were provided. This information is crucial for scientifically determining the MDR probability distribution in data-deficient areas and for directing the management of flood disasters in the Loess Plateau and other similar regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In eastern Qinghai Province, China, landslides are a frequent hazard, yet their large-scale monitoring and assessment are under-researched. This study utilized 31 Sentinel-1A satellite images from January 4, 2020, to August 9, 2022, and applied the Small Baseline Subset Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (SBAS-InSAR) method to quantify surface subsidence and infer landslide deformation rates in the Loess Plateau. We identified 491 hazardous landslides, with 14 posing significant risks to the Yellow River, major highways, and over 10,000 residents. The average line-of-sight (LOS) surface displacement rate was 118 mm/year, peaking at 298 mm. Satellite imagery revealed rapid and continuous landslide front activity. The landslides' uneven distribution aligns with the area's complex geology and environment, predominantly occurring on 20°–40° slopes with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index values below 0.3, and aligning with nearby faults in the Hualong basin. Detailed analysis of 14 key landslides showed a marked correlation between landslide movement and monthly precipitation, offering new insights into landslide deformation mechanisms and driving factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government's program of reverting agriculture to forests and grasslands has largely been responsible for the phenomenon of the Loess Plateau becoming green, which has attracted the attention of the international academic community. To identify the reasons for the Loess Plateau's greening scientifically and precisely, it is essential to comprehend the relationship between the natural vegetation covering index and precipitation change. The relationship between NDVI indicators and precipitation in the non-reforestation (grass) area of the Loess Plateau was investigated using statistical techniques like detrended partial cross-correlation analysis and observation data of daily precipitation and pan evaporation in the Loess Plateau from 1982 to 2015. Also looked at are the results of this co-evolution of space and time. The results demonstrate that during the process of becoming greener, the NDVI index in the non-reforestation (grass) portion of the Loess Plateau showed a significant rising trend. The most noticeable shift happened in the hilly and gully areas. The yearly precipitation data often displayed a fluctuating, increasing tendency. It was discovered to have a strong long-range correlation with the NDVI data. The positive partial correlation area accounted for about 76% of the total area of the Loess Plateau. There is regional variation in the effect of different magnitudes of precipitation changes on the NDVI in the non-reforestation (grass) regions of the Loess Plateau, and 30–50 mm precipitation increases are the key to the greatly increased natural NDVI in these places. Thus, it is determined that precipitation variations have a significant impact on the greening of the Loess Plateau, particularly in non-reforestation (grass) areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slope length is an important factor in soil erosion modeling, and the reasonable automatic extraction of slope length is of great significance in soil erosion research. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the regional scale, and how to effectively extract slope length at the slope scale deserves further research. In this study, a slope length extraction algorithm based on slope streamlines method (SSM) is proposed for the slope length extraction problem in geomorphology, and it is compared with three existing slope length calculation methods. The experimental results show that the new method can quickly calculate the length of slope streamlines, and the extracted slope lengths have better accuracy; the coefficients of determination demonstrates a better overall fitting effect of the four extraction methods, with coefficients of determination exceeding 0.7; this indicates that the use of SSM has similar accuracy and stability to other methods in calculating slope lengths. Among all the calculation methods, SSM has a better overall fitting effect for slope length calculation, and the obtained slope length value domain range is relatively small and concentrated in a small range, which expresses the slope length better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China's Loess Plateau has lately witnessed increasingly extreme precipitation events, it is important to analyze the impact of extreme precipitation and identify the conditions for the occurrence of geological disasters. Field surveys can provide detailed geological information in this regard but are time consuming and labor intensive. In this paper, we provide a case study on the Gutun catchment of Yan'an, which was affected by prolonged heavy rainfall in July 2013. We used Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data obtained by processing ZY-03 stereo-pair images before and after the rainy season, including the period of prolonged heavy rainfall mentioned above, to analyze the topographical changes triggered by the rainfall. The results showed the following: (1) The rainy season reduced the elevation of the catchment by about 1.7 cm. The major change in its elevation ranged from −0.5 to 0 m, accounting for 38.41% of the overall area of change and dominating above 70 m of slope height. (2) The rainy season increased the average inclination of the slopes in the area from 28.81° to 28.95°, while the range of their peak inclination was mainly distributed in the range of 24°–36°. (3) Sunny and half-sunny slopes exhibited a greater loss in elevation, while shady and half-shady slopes exhibited an increase in elevation. More drastic topographical changes were observed in the shady and half-shady slopes. (4) The morphology of the area that had undergone a reduction in elevation was characterized by concave slopes, while convex slopes abounded in the area with increased elevation. (5) The sunny or shady properties of the slope aspect constituted the key factor influencing the topographical changes, followed by the height, inclination, and shape of the slopes. The work here can provide guidance for measures related to disaster prevention and mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Loess Plateau, a region of remarkable ecological and economic value, grapples with significant water management challenges due to its distinctive geology and climate. This perspective offers a short review of the eco-environmental protection measures undertaken in the Loess Plateau, underscoring the transformative impacts of initiatives such as the "Grain for Green" project. However, it also highlights the enduring challenges, including land degradation, water resources issues, socio-economic inequities, and the implications of climate change. Particularly, water management emerges as a pivotal issue with far-reaching repercussions for soil conservation, biodiversity, and human livelihoods. The paper concludes by proposing future actions, emphasizing the necessity for policy modifications, novel initiatives, and research to tackle these challenges and foster sustainable development in the Loess Plateau. The insights gained from this region could offer invaluable lessons for other regions confronted with similar challenges, thereby contributing to global efforts to mitigate desertification and champion sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale ecological restoration projects (ERPs) in the Chinese Loess Plateau have been widely reported over the past decades. However, the impacts of land use caused by different ERPs on ecosystem service values (ESV) remain largely unknown in this ecologically fragile region. In this study, we assessed long-term changes in ESV under three typical scenarios of ERPs combinations on the Loess Plateau, using a modified rapid ecosystem services assessment method. From 2000 to 2020, the region experienced substantial changes in land use, with the expansion of forests and the shrinking of grasslands being the dominant characteristics. Forest restoration (1.09 × 106 ha) on the Loess Plateau has experienced obvious increase in ESV (6.26 billion RMB) as a result of the Grain for Green project (GfG) and the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP). These changes have led to an increase in the overall ESV by 1.74 billion RMB in the last 20 years. The ecological conservation scenario demonstrates the highest benefit potential in ESV for increasing ecological services compared to the other two scenarios, with a growth of 1.32 × 106 ha of forest and 9.89 billion RMB, and this increasing trend will continue to be driven by the GfG in the future. We recommend regulating the spatiotempral trade-offs relationships between forests, grasslands, and farmlands, as well as developing diverse projects for ecosystem conservation and restoration on the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Loess Critical Zone (LCZ) is located in the intersection of bedrock, groundwater, pedosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. It is a key issue to understand the structural characteristics and soil carbon (C) cycle of the LCZ. We summarized the mechanisms of C exchange between rocks and the atmosphere, and discussed the mechanisms of C stabilization and persistence of the LCZ. Due to the deep layer, C stocks of the CLZ could be underestimated. In light of the recent theory of microbial C pump, soil microorganisms play an important role in C cycle, however, the microbial function is not widely considered in C cycling model of the LCZ. For future studies, it is suggested to systematically study the C cycling process from plant canopy to bedrock by the framework system of the LCZ. A variety of techniques and methods are integrated to combine short-term and high-frequency observations with long-term positioning observations, and pay attention to the response and feedback mechanisms of soil organic C (SOC) cycling to global changes and human activities, especially the migration and transformation of SOC in each circle and interface of the LCZ. We also recommend the necessity for intensive and long-term C monitoring in LCZ over broad geographic scale, to improve microbial C model for accurately evaluating terrestrial C budget and its dynamics. Altogether, this is the first review of C cycling, spanning from the land surface down to the bedrock in the LCZ, which is significant implications for biogeochemical cycling of C in surface and deep layers down to the bedrock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) plantations have contributed significantly to soil and water conservation and ecological reconstruction on China's Loess Plateau. Understanding the impact of stand and environment on species composition of understory woody plants will improve the stability of existing black locust plantations. Ten stands were selected in second-generation black locust plantations in tableland and gully areas of the Loess Plateau. The number of understory tree species in the tablelands was significantly lower than in the gully stands. Regenerated black locust (19.76%) and Rubus corchorifolius L.f. (64.85%) were the most abundant understory tree and shrub species, respectively, in the tableland stands; Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'Hér. ex Vent. (6.77%) and Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. Maxim.) Harms. (37.22%) were most abundant in the gully stands. Species richness (S), Shannon diversity (H), and evenness index (J) of the understory plants were significantly lower in the tableland stands than in the gully stands. More diverse understory species and community structures occurred in the gully stands. Differences in species diversity among landform positions may be attributed to differences in soil moisture. In addition, 77.57% of the variation in understory species composition was explained, among which shrub and herb coverage, stand age, leaf area index, slope and total soil phosphorus in the 10–20 cm layer were the main factors. Soil organic carbon and total potassium significantly impacted S, H and J. Considering the environmental conditions and the biological characteristics of the plants investigated, R. corchorifolius should be given priority in the development of tableland stands, while B. papyrifera and Celtis sinensis Pers. should form mixed forests with black locust in gully stands. This management could promote biodiversity and stability of the existing black locust plantations but also optimize regional landscape patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nitrogen (N) is an essential plant nutrient that limits growth in most terrestrial ecosystems, and to compensate for this, biochar (BC) is often utilized to reduce soil N losses and thus improve yields. However, optimizing root morphology with BC to help reduce N fertilization use and achieve consistent yields has not been widely investigated. Methods: To address this, a two-year wheat field experiment was conducted in the drylands of the Loess Plateau in China. BC was applied at 0, 10, 20, and 30 t ha− 1 (BC0, BC10, BC20, and BC30, respectively) along with two N fertilization treatments (90 and 120 kg N ha− 1; N90 and N120, respectively). Results: The results showed that BC promoted root growth in 2017–2018 (normal year) and reduced excessive root growth in 2018–2019 (wet year). The root strategy that resulted from the BC treatments reduced the variation in mineral nitrogen storage (ΔMNS) in the soil profile, thus supporting the efficient use of water and N for higher yields and partial factor productivity of N (PFPN), especially with the N120BC20 treatment. Furthermore, the PFPN was higher with the N90BC20 treatment than with the N120BC20 treatment, but there was no significant difference in yield. These results thus indicate that BC can compensate for the yield reduction caused by reduced N fertilizer use. Conclusions: Our study provides different insights into potential strategies to reduce N applications in semiarid farmland and other rain-fed cropping regions using a BC-optimized root system strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the influence of freeze–thawing on the organic matter content of Loess Plateau soils, four typical soils of the region, namely, sandy soil, black loessial soil, yellow loamy soil, and cinnamon soil, were selected for this study. The indoor simulation test was used to study the change characteristics of organic matter content under the combined effects of freeze‒thaw cycles, soil water content, and depth. When the water content and depth were the same, the organic matter content of the different soil types showed an increasing trend with the increase in freeze‒thaw cycles, and the relationship between organic matter content and freeze‒thaw cycles could be expressed by a power function. In general, in sandy soil and black loessial soil, the water content at the highest soil organic matter content was 15% and 8%, respectively, under different freeze‒thaw cycles. However, in yellow loamy soil and cinnamon soil, on the whole, the water content was 20% when the organic matter content was the highest in the early stage, but when freeze‒thaw cycles was 15, the water content changed when the organic matter content was the highest to 16% and 8%, respectively. This study can provide some data support and reference for revealing the mechanism of freeze–thaw effect on soil organic matter content changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation (P) and temperature (T) are key components of the hydrometeorological system, and their dependence structures exhibit significant dynamic changes, including non-stationary behavior, in response to environmental variations. These changes affect local hydrological processes and impact the predictability of the hydrometeorological system. However, the dynamics of dependence structures among meteorological factors during corresponding and adjacent seasons, as well as their underlying causes, have not been fully revealed. Therefore, this study comprehensively explored the dynamics of the precipitation-temperature dependence structure (PTDS) and temperature-temperature dependence structure (TTDS), and their possible causes. Firstly, non-stationary of PTDS was identified using a copula model. Then the main drivers of PTDS were determined by the random forest (RF) model and variable projection importance (VIP) criteria. These drivers include both conventional factors such as local meteorological factors (e.g., P, T, wind speed (WS), vapor pressure, relative humidity and sunshine duration (SD)) and teleconnection factors (e.g., Sunspots, the Arctic Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)). Additionally, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to investigate the response of dependence structure to vegetation dynamics. Finally, the ridge regression model was applied to construct driver models for the dynamics of dependence structures. The Loess Plateau was selected as the study area because of its high ecological sensitivity and typical human afforestation activities. The results show that: (1) non-stationarity in the PTDS occurred in different seasons and at various stations; (2) the primary drivers of PTDS and TTDS dynamics are predominantly local meteorological factors; (3) there is a strong correlation between SD and ENSO, and the impacts of PDO on local meteorological factors (WS and T) play a crucial role in driving the PTDS dynamics; and (4) NDVI is the main driver, primarily influencing T and ultimately affecting the dynamics of PTDS and TTDS. These findings suggest that there are significant ecological impacts through radiative or non-radiative feedback mechanisms under warming scenarios. Overall, this study provides new insights into the drivers and mechanisms behind the dynamics of dependence structures among meteorological elements. It contributes to a deeper understanding of the changing local hydrometeorological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeostasis is the adaptability of a species to a changing environment. However, the ecological stoichiometric homeostasis of Robinia pseudoacacia L. in different climatic regions is poorly understood but could provide insights into its adaptability in the loess hilly region. This study sampled 20 year-old R. pseudoacacia plantations at 10 sites along a north–south transect on the Loess Plateau. Variations in the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of leaf and soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were analysed and homeostatic characteristics of leaf ecological stoichiometric parameters in different climates were identified. Factors affecting leaf stoichiometry were assessed. The results show that R. pseudoacacia leaves were rich in nitrogen and deficient in phosphorous during tree growth and development. Nitrogen and phosphorous levels in the soils of the loess region were lower than the average in soils in the rest of China. All ecological stoichiometric parameters of R. pseudoacacia leaves in two different climates were considered "strictly homeostasis". Precipitation, available phosphorus, and soil C:P were the main factors affecting the variation of C:N:P stoichiometry of R. pseudoacacia leaves. R. pseudoacacia in the loess hilly region has strong ecologically homeostatic characteristics and suggests that it is well-adapted to the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the effects of meteorological factors on drought dynamic is of important significance for in-depth understanding drought formation mechanism and developing strategies to adapt to climate change. Nevertheless, existing studies have neglected the influence of nonlinear characteristics of meteorological factors on drought evolution, as well as their complex interactions, inhibiting in-depth understanding drought formation mechanism and accurate forecasting. To this end, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) is adopted in this study to characterize meteorological drought, and the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) is used to explore the nonlinear trend of meteorological factors. Moreover, considering that the interaction between meteorological factors brings some uncertainty in quantifying their individual contributions, a new framework for quantifying drought dynamics taking into account nonlinear trends in meteorological factors and their interactions is proposed based on numerical experiments under eight climate experiments. The Loess Plateau (LP), where drought occurs frequently and its ecological environment is very fragile, is selected as a case study. Results show that: (1) the LP generally shows a drying trend on annual and seasonal scales except for summer especially for its northwest; (2) the interaction between meteorological factors affects the evolution of drought. Eliminating the interactions, the dominant factor on annual SPEI trend is wind speed, both in spring and winter, while sunshine hours and precipitation dominate summer and autumn SPEI trend, respectively; (3) the positive trend contribution of sunshine hours to SPEI is greater than the negative contribution of temperature in summer, and its decline plays an important role in alleviating the drought on the LP in summer. In general, this study sheds a new insight into quantifying the nonlinear effects of meteorological factors to drought dynamics. Relevant findings will help to further understand the mechanism of drought formation under changing environments and provide scientific and technical support for drought early warning and scientific response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion is a major issue in Loess Plateau, China, and quantitative analyses of sediment sources are crucial for soil erosion control. In this study, a combination of flood couplet analysis and composite fingerprint identification was used for historical reconstructions of soil erosion in sediment source areas in Loess Plateau. Each flood couplet was constructed based on sediment 137Cs activity, and past soil erosion was calculated using soil bulk density and storage capacity curves. The contribution rates of the sediment sources were calculated using the fingerprinting method, and the amount of erosion in the sediment source areas was estimated. The best fingerprint combination (Cr, Ni, V, and TOC) enabled a 97.2% recognition of sediment sources from 29 flood events (1956–1990) in the Loess Plateau. The contribution rates of gullies, farmland, grassland, and shrubland were 44.89%, 26.38%, 10.49%, and 18.24%, respectively. These four land use types contributed 1,227, 751, 512, and 279 tons of sediments, respectively. Re-vegetation decreased soil erosion (1966–1983), whereas deforestation increased soil erosion (1956–1965 and 1984–1990). Rational soil and water conservation measures on slopes and check dam construction in gullies are therefore suggested to mitigate erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cropping systems worldwide have been affected by the current trend in global warming and the optimization of cropping systems is an important area of research in the transition of agricultural land. The Loess Plateau is a typical ecologically fragile region with the most serious soil erosion in China. We carried out a field experiment in Yan'an city on the Loess Plateau to explore the effect of sowing date on crop growth and yield. We then analyzed the feasibility of a double-cropping system by considering climatic adaptability, ecological suitability and economic viability. Our results showed that different sowing dates resulted in significant differences in crop growth and that appropriate early sowing can result in higher crop yields for early maturing varieties. We showed that double-cropping systems of sweet maize (Zea mays)–forage rape and feed maize–forage rape are feasible on the Loess Plateau. We discuss the implications for the efficient use of farmland, which is important in guiding agricultural supply-side reform and the development of modern agricultural management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we firstly constructed a theoretical framework based on major function-oriented zones (MFOZs). Then taking the Loess Plateau (LP) as the study area, we revealed the spatio-temporal differences and influencing factors of carbon emission equity by using the carbon equity model, Theil index, and Geo-detector. The results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2017, the carbon equity of the Loess Plateau showed a downward trend, but the ecological carbon equity remained above 2.3, which was significantly higher than the economic carbon equity. (2) The ecological carbon equity in the Loess Plateau increased from the core of urban agglomeration to the periphery. The spatial pattern of economic carbon equity changed from low in the northeast and high in the southwest to low in the north and high in the south. The ecological support coefficient and economic contribution coefficient of provincial capital cities and their surrounding districts remained low since 2000. (3) The equity of carbon emissions in each function-oriented zone in the Loess Plateau was compatible with its orientation. The ecological carbon equity of the key ecological functional zones (KEFZs) was significantly higher than that of the key development zones (KDZs) and the major agricultural production zones (MAPZs), while the economic carbon equity of the KDZs was significantly higher than that of the MAPZs and the KEFZs. (4) The formation and evolution of the spatial differentiation pattern of carbon equity in the Loess Plateau was the result of the long-term interaction effects of geographic location, social economy, science and technology level, and policy system. Among them, eco-environmental protection policy, government financial support, and geographical location are the key driving factors for the spatial pattern of ecological carbon equity. Geographical location, social economic level, and science and technology level are the key factors driving the spatial pattern of economic carbon equity. According to this study, to achieving carbon equity on the Loess Plateau region, what the key approaches are to fully implement the planning of MFOZs, design differentiated regional carbon compensation mechanisms, improve energy efficiency and ecological environment capacity, and build a collaborative regional carbon emission governance system. This research can not only provide an effective framework for analysing the carbon equity, but also offer policy implication for promoting carbon emission reduction and achieving high-quality development goals in the ecologically fragile areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten soil cores were collected from slopes and gully bottoms in the Loess Plateau, China, and analyzed for plutonium isotopes to investigate their source, level, and distribution in the Liudaogou Catchment of the Loess Plateau. The soil 240Pu/239Pu atomic ratios (0.158–0.209) suggested that global fallout is the dominant source of Pu in this area. The 239,240Pu inventories (0.94–77.91 Bq m− 2) indicated that up to 80% of Pu was lost due to severe soil erosion in the past decades. Land use types, vegetation coverage, and topography significantly influence the preservation and redistribution of Pu, and alfalfa might be a promising restoration plant for mitigating soil erosion on the northern Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Robinia pseudoacacia is the main non-native tree species that has been widely planted in the Loess Plateau (LP) for revegetation. Most studies focused on its effects on soil and plant properties, but few works investigated biodiversity, especially soil fauna. Methods: We investigated soil fauna in areas where R. pseudoacacia was planted 10, 20, 30, and 50 years ago and grassland areas in LP. Results: Results showed that afforestation can significantly increase the soil fauna groups of the litter layer which does not further increase with forest age. However, the number of soil fauna groups, especially the dominant groups (mites and springtails), was not significantly affected by afforestation. After afforestation, soil fauna abundance first increased and then decreased, with a maximum value observed 20 years post-planting. The average abundance of soil fauna in the soil layer of the R. pseudoacacia was 22, 292 individuals m–2, which was 4.91 times more than in the litter layer. However, the number of soil fauna groups in the soil layer (10) was significantly lower than that in the litter layer (17). Litter thickness and soil total nitrogen contributed the most and explained 34.7% and 29.5% of soil fauna communities in the litter and soil layers, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the change of soil fauna community in the litter layer by afforestation was greater than that in soil layer. However, the effect of forest age on soil fauna was only weak. Afforestation-induced changes in soil and vegetation properties (e.g. stand density, litter thickness, and soil total nitrogen) were crucial determinants of the changes in soil fauna community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material exchange frequently occurs in gullies, and thus the relationship between a gully-network structure and sediment transport potential has attracted considerable interest. However, previous researches ignored the difficulty of material transport from sources to sinks, and did not quantify the connectivity of a network structure. In this study, we used a graph model structure to model gully networks of six typical sample areas in the Loess Plateau of China and quantified gully network connectivity using four indexes: average node strength, accessibility from sources to sinks, potential flow, and network structural connectivity index. Results show that: (1) Reflected by different quantitative indexes, the trends of gully network connectivity in different regions are similar. From north to south, the connectivity of a sample area first increases and then decreases. (2) The more mature gullies have stronger network connectivity. Small resistance is conducive to material transport in the gullies. (3) The node connectivity index of the gully network shows a significant aggregation distribution in space, and node connectivity on the main channel is often stronger than that on the branch trench. These results not only deepen the understanding of the process and mechanism of loess gully geomorphic development and evolution but also provide a reference for geomorphic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Over recent decades, the Chinese government has instigated large-scale vegetation restoration projects across the Loess Plateau to control soil erosion. Yet, this project coupling effect with associative interannual variations and magnitudinous decreases during vegetation species’ developmental stages have rarely been explored. Therefore, we conducted experiments to explore the water budget characteristics under different stand ages of Robinia pseudoacacia.We selected five R. pseudoacacia stand ages (i.e., 6 yr, 16 yr, 20 yr, 35 yr, and 45 yr) to investigate their individual interannual water budgets over four consecutive years (2019–2022).Compared with grassland, the significant soil water amounts were consumed within the deep soil layers (> 200 cm) of all R. pseudoacacia stand ages. The soil water storage (SWS) deficit gradually worsened between 6–20 yr but then improved between 35–45 yr. Also, SWS values of all five R. pseudoacacia stands significantly differed (p < 0.05). Interestingly, as the stands aged, the increasing rate of actual evapotranspiration (AET) largely decreased from 125 mm yr−1 to 29 mm yr−1. The relationship between cumulative precipitation and AET further revealed that the water equilibrium input–output state reached at the stand’s middle age (~ 20 yr), after which the positive water input feedback occurred.These findings highlight that the water consumption process turning point for R. pseudoacacia occurs at the stand’s middle stage, indicating its role in SWS recovery. Our experimental evidence will benefit both researchers and policymakers, helping them to better regulate water resources and to optimize forest management alternatives.Methods: Over recent decades, the Chinese government has instigated large-scale vegetation restoration projects across the Loess Plateau to control soil erosion. Yet, this project coupling effect with associative interannual variations and magnitudinous decreases during vegetation species’ developmental stages have rarely been explored. Therefore, we conducted experiments to explore the water budget characteristics under different stand ages of Robinia pseudoacacia.We selected five R. pseudoacacia stand ages (i.e., 6 yr, 16 yr, 20 yr, 35 yr, and 45 yr) to investigate their individual interannual water budgets over four consecutive years (2019–2022).Compared with grassland, the significant soil water amounts were consumed within the deep soil layers (> 200 cm) of all R. pseudoacacia stand ages. The soil water storage (SWS) deficit gradually worsened between 6–20 yr but then improved between 35–45 yr. Also, SWS values of all five R. pseudoacacia stands significantly differed (p < 0.05). Interestingly, as the stands aged, the increasing rate of actual evapotranspiration (AET) largely decreased from 125 mm yr−1 to 29 mm yr−1. The relationship between cumulative precipitation and AET further revealed that the water equilibrium input–output state reached at the stand’s middle age (~ 20 yr), after which the positive water input feedback occurred.These findings highlight that the water consumption process turning point for R. pseudoacacia occurs at the stand’s middle stage, indicating its role in SWS recovery. Our experimental evidence will benefit both researchers and policymakers, helping them to better regulate water resources and to optimize forest management alternatives.Results: Over recent decades, the Chinese government has instigated large-scale vegetation restoration projects across the Loess Plateau to control soil erosion. Yet, this project coupling effect with associative interannual variations and magnitudinous decreases during vegetation species’ developmental stages have rarely been explored. Therefore, we conducted experiments to explore the water budget characteristics under different stand ages of Robinia pseudoacacia.We selected five R. pseudoacacia stand ages (i.e., 6 yr, 16 yr, 20 yr, 35 yr, and 45 yr) to investigate their individual interannual water budgets over four consecutive years (2019–2022).Compared with grassland, the significant soil water amounts were consumed within the deep soil layers (> 200 cm) of all R. pseudoacacia stand ages. The soil water storage (SWS) deficit gradually worsened between 6–20 yr but then improved between 35–45 yr. Also, SWS values of all five R. pseudoacacia stands significantly differed (p < 0.05). Interestingly, as the stands aged, the increasing rate of actual evapotranspiration (AET) largely decreased from 125 mm yr−1 to 29 mm yr−1. The relationship between cumulative precipitation and AET further revealed that the water equilibrium input–output state reached at the stand’s middle age (~ 20 yr), after which the positive water input feedback occurred.These findings highlight that the water consumption process turning point for R. pseudoacacia occurs at the stand’s middle stage, indicating its role in SWS recovery. Our experimental evidence will benefit both researchers and policymakers, helping them to better regulate water resources and to optimize forest management alternatives.Conclusions: Over recent decades, the Chinese government has instigated large-scale vegetation restoration projects across the Loess Plateau to control soil erosion. Yet, this project coupling effect with associative interannual variations and magnitudinous decreases during vegetation species’ developmental stages have rarely been explored. Therefore, we conducted experiments to explore the water budget characteristics under different stand ages of Robinia pseudoacacia.We selected five R. pseudoacacia stand ages (i.e., 6 yr, 16 yr, 20 yr, 35 yr, and 45 yr) to investigate their individual interannual water budgets over four consecutive years (2019–2022).Compared with grassland, the significant soil water amounts were consumed within the deep soil layers (> 200 cm) of all R. pseudoacacia stand ages. The soil water storage (SWS) deficit gradually worsened between 6–20 yr but then improved between 35–45 yr. Also, SWS values of all five R. pseudoacacia stands significantly differed (p < 0.05). Interestingly, as the stands aged, the increasing rate of actual evapotranspiration (AET) largely decreased from 125 mm yr−1 to 29 mm yr−1. The relationship between cumulative precipitation and AET further revealed that the water equilibrium input–output state reached at the stand’s middle age (~ 20 yr), after which the positive water input feedback occurred.These findings highlight that the water consumption process turning point for R. pseudoacacia occurs at the stand’s middle stage, indicating its role in SWS recovery. Our experimental evidence will benefit both researchers and policymakers, helping them to better regulate water resources and to optimize forest management alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: On-wall flow on gully headwalls plays a critical role in gully headcut erosion, and the erosion morphology of gully headwalls caused by on-wall flow scouring varies under different land uses/covers due to variations in soil resistance. However, it is unclear how vegetation roots affect the soil resistance of gully headwalls to on-wall flow scouring. Materials and methods: Taking bare land as the control, this study analysed the vertical distribution of vegetation roots and its influence on the soil properties and antiscourability (ANS) of gully headwalls under three land uses (forestland, grassland, and farmland). Results and discussion: The results showed that root mass density (RMD), root length density (RLD), root surface area density (RAD), and root volume density (RVD) decreased overall with increasing soil vertical depth at the gully headwall under the three land use types. The soil ANS ranked highest to lowest in forestland, grassland, farmland, and bare land. Compared with that of bare land, the ANS of each soil layer (0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80, and 80–100 cm) under the three land use types increased by 3.0–9.1, 6.7–8.6, 2.6–10.5, 3.9–5.6, and 0.2–1.9 times, respectively. The ANS of the gully headwalls had a logarithmic relationship with RLD, RAD, and RVD (R2 = 0.45–0.56, P < 0.01). In particular, the most significant correlation was found between the ANS and RVD of fine roots (diameters of 0–0.5 mm). The ANS decreased with the decrease in root density with vertical depth. Conclusions: Our results reveal that vertically distributed roots determine the vertical variations in soil ANS on gully headwalls in the gullied Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale land consolidation projects (LCPs) have been carried out on the Loess Plateau to increase the area of agriculture land. The newly created land is prone to soil erosion under the effects of water and gravity. Taking a typical high-filling body (HFB) formed by LCPs in Yan'an, China as the subject, this study comprehensively investigated the types and causes of soil erosion with multiple methods of field investigation, on-site monitoring and laboratory tests. Results showed that the HFB presented a composite pattern of soil erosion with multiple types mainly including underground erosion, mixed water-gravity erosion, seepage erosion, and scouring erosion. The type of erosion varied spatially in different parts of the HFB depending on the dominant factors, mainly including the groundwater state, rainfall, runoff, gravity action, topography, and soil erodibility. The underground erosion mainly occurred at the positions with higher groundwater level and larger hydraulic gradient, while scouring erosion mainly occurred at the positions with extensive interactions of surface runoff, channel slope gradient and soil properties. And near the leading edge of the top of the slope, a band of mixed water-gravity erosion occurred owing to the effects of water and gravity. In addition, nearly saturated soils at the toe of HFB displayed groundwater exfiltration and slope-face slumping. Based on our findings on the causes and variation of soil erosion for the HFB, we proposed the following erosion prevention and control measures to protect the LCPs on the Loess Plateau: to construct drainage ditches and blind ditches to form a complete drainage system, plant alfalfa on the top platform to increase rainfall interception and reduce surface runoff, set seepage ditches and plant deep-rooted plants at the toe of the slope to improve slope toe stability, monitor groundwater level and slope deformation to learn the erosion dynamics and slope stability, and optimize the geometry of HFB such as the slope gradient and slope steps to reduce soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keymessage: Results of tree growth–climate relationship analyses and recent variation of climate factors indicated that the Liaotung oak is in a steady development phase on the central Loess Plateau. Liaotung oak (Quercus liaotungensis Koidz.) is a native tree species on the Loess Plateau (LP) of China. However, little is known about the long-term growth variation of Liaotung oak and its response to climate change on the LP. Herein, we clarified the growth response of Liaotung oak to climate change by using dendroclimatological methods. We established a standard tree-ring width (TRW) chronology of Liaotung oak, then conducted static and dynamic tree growth–climate relationship analyses. As shown by static correlation analysis, temperature in late autumn of the previous year, in winter, spring, and early summer of the current year, hydroclimatic factors in late summer and autumn of the previous year, in spring and early summer of current year exerted significant positive influence (P < 0.05) on the radial growth of Liaotung oak. Significant positive influence of winter and spring temperatures on the radial growth of Liaotung oak dramatically decreased since 1990s until 2000s, then increased until 2010s, reaching positively significant level, and subsequently followed by slight decrease. The significant positive influence of spring precipitation was generally stable during the whole moving correlation period; the positive influence of early summer precipitation generally strengthened, reaching significant level (P < 0.05) since 1990s. Influence of drought in late winter and spring of the current year was relatively stable during the whole moving correlation period; the influence of drought in late spring and early summer of the current year steadily increased, reaching positively significant level (P < 0.05) around 2000s, then started decreasing. On the other hand, observation on climate records showed the decrease of temperature in late winter and spring, while the increase of precipitation in spring and early summer, and slight variation of drought index in spring and early summer, after 2010. Based on the above results, conclusion can be made that the Liaotung oak is in a steady development phase under the current climatic conditions on the central Loess Plateau. Our results are of significant importance for the local forest management authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen deposition will alleviate the nitrogen limitation in terrestrial ecosystems and greatly affect vegetation growth, thereby soil erosion. It is important to clarify the effects of nitrogen addition to the plant roots and soil properties on the soil erosion process. A nitrogen addition experiment was conducted in the grassland dominated by Bothriochloa ischaemum (Linn.) Keng (BI), which has received 0, 2.5, 5, and 10 g N m−2 yr−1 (N0, N2.5, N5 and N10, respectively) for three consecutive years. Then, a total of 150 undisturbed soil samples were collected (including bare soil control) and subjected to flowing water to test their soil detachment capacities under six shear stress levels (10.2 Pa to 29.9 Pa). Three-year nitrogen addition increased the soil bulk density, soil cohesion and nitrate nitrogen while decreasing the saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water-stable aggregates, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen. The root mass density and root diameter decreased with nitrogen addition. And the root length, surface area and volume density of the N0 and N5 treatments were larger than those of the other treatments, while the plant roots were significantly inhibited by N10. Additionally, the soil detachment capacity (Dc) and rill erodibility (Kr) of the N0 and N5 treatments were significantly less than those of the N2.5 and N10 treatments, of which the Dc (0.020 kg m−2 s−1) of the N0 treatment was 69.0%, 24.3% and 66.8% less than that of the N2.5, N5 and N10 treatments, respectively. The Kr of the N0 treatment was 0.0012 s m−1, which was 72.1%, 25.0% and 70.0% less than that of the others. This study implies that an increase in nitrogen addition likely exacerbates soil erosion in the early (approximately 2.5 g N m−2 yr−1) and late phases (more than 10 g N m−2 yr−1). However, when the nitrogen addition rate is approximately 5 g m−2 yr−1, soil erosion may be inhibited because of the responses of the plant roots and soil to nitrogen addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land degradation is one of the most serious environmental challenges that profoundly affects ecosystem services (ESs), which further threaten ecosystem sustainability. However, few studies have been committed to sufficiently explore the relationship between land degradation neutrality (LDN) and the ES balance of supply and demand sides, as well as their spatial disparities and determinants. To fill the knowledge gaps, this study quantifies land dynamics and ES balance through biophysical models and an expert knowledge matrix, respectively, and explores the spatial determinants through an integrated regression method. From 1990 to 2018, the ecosystem restoration projects in the Loess Plateau substantially reduced soil loss and maintained ES surplus patterns for the entire regional scale, except for individual urban agglomerations, which suffered from ES deficits. Spatial panel models and geographically and temporally weighted regression revealed that the ES balance and soil loss were concurrently determined by socioeconomic indicators, landscape composition, and structure. In addition, the spatial determinants presented remarkable regional heterogeneities and spillover effects depending on individual environmental and socioeconomic conditions, which should be taken into account in landscape monitoring, simulation, forecasting, and planning. Therefore, ecosystem restoration and landscape management should not solely depend on individual indicators in local units, but also rely on integrated frameworks and coordinated collaborations from cross-border areas that appropriately link LDN and ES balance maintenance targets by considering common critical determinants and their external effects. This study enriches the understanding of ecosystem evolution and sustaining ES balance. The findings are expected to further support policy formulations and implementations to address land degradation challenges and enhance ecosystem sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Agroforestry has been advocated as a climate-smart agricultural approach to counter extreme climate and as an important sustainable intensification practice to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, its efficacy remains under dispute in drylands where resources, especially water, are limited. Aim and methods: This study aimed to study how annual bioenergy crops, soybean (Glycine max) and canola (Brassica rapa), influence soil water availability and fine root distribution in a young apple orchard exposed to varying to drought intensity on the semiarid Loess Plateau of China. Drought was simulated by reducing natural precipitation by 15% (moderate drought) and 25% (severe drought). Result and conclusions: Intercropping soybean and canola increased the fine root biomass (FRB) of apple trees in the 80–180 cm soil layer, improved moisture status below the 80 cm soil layer in the wet season, and promoted apple tree growth. Under moderate drought, FRB in the 0–80 cm soil layer increased, making use of the shallow soil water replenished by precipitation. However, the trees switched to absorbing soil water in the 80–180 cm in the dry season. Under severe drought, the apple trees increased FRB in the 0–80 cm and 180–280 cm soil layers and increased the proportion of the total roots in the 180–280 cm layer, aggravating the deep soil desiccation and inhibiting apple tree growth. These findings offer insights into drought effects on root plasticity and soil management practices in rainfed orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural regional type and function are the key theoretical issues in agricultural geography research. Gully agriculture in the Loess Plateau is a new regional type of agricultural system with the coupling development of the modern gully human-earth relationship. The study of its functional changes is of great practical significance for food security, rural revitalization and sustainable development of regional agriculture in the region of interest. This paper analyses the multifunctional change of gully agriculture in the Loess Plateau and its dynamic mechanism by using large-scale remote sensing data, topographic relief amplitude model, and spatial econometric model to understand internal implications for evolution differentiation at the basin level. The results show that: (1) The spatial concentration of production and supply function of agricultural products (APF) in the gully of the Loess Plateau gully is high, while the ecological conservation and maintenance function (ECF), employment and social security function (ESF), cultural heritage and leisure function (CRF) are relatively low. The four functions' spatial distribution has revealed an apparent regularity. (2) APF has been significantly enhanced, which is mainly distributed in point clusters and strips in the farming and pastoral areas in northern Shaanxi to the Yanhe river basin. The high-value areas of ESF are clustered around the urbanized metropolitan circles and urban-rural staggered areas along the Great Wall. ECF is concentrated in areas with significant natural endowments and excellent ecological conditions. CRF is significantly higher in the municipal districts and the surrounding regional central cities. (3) There are noticeable differences in the gully agriculture regional function (GARF) evolution process due to the geographical environment and socio-economic development stages. In this regard, natural factors have tremendously affected APF, ESF, and ECF, while socio-economic factors greatly differ in the four functions. There are still differences in the driving mechanisms of modern gully agriculture evolution types; hence many critical policies in the Loess Plateau can directly affect the function evolution paths. The dynamic evolution of GARF can reflect the general law of rural human-earth system transition in gully areas, thereby providing policy ideas for high-quality development of agriculture in the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation plays a pivotal role in mitigating soil erosion in China’s Loess Plateau, but the management of soil moisture is equally crucial. This study reviewed 112 relevant research papers on the correlation between vegetation and soil moisture in the Loess Plateau. A meta-analysis systematically evaluates the impact of different vegetation types (woodland, shrubland, and grassland) on soil moisture since the initiation of the grain for green project in 1999, a large-scale government initiative. The results showed that in the vegetation construction of the Loess Plateau, the degree of soil moisture declined from large to small was woodland, shrubland, grassland, and became more serious with the increase in soil depth. Through subgroup analysis, it was found that the soil moisture of woodland and shrubland decreased with increasing rainfall; in various altitudes, the soil moisture of all vegetation decreases with increasing altitude; in different slope ranges, the decrease in soil water content of all vegetation construction was the greatest at 25° and the smallest at 15–25°; throughout the growth stages of vegetation, soil moisture consumption by trees increased with vegetation age, but the degree of water depletion did not further increase at 30 years for shrubland and 20 years for grassland. Therefore, from the perspective of soil moisture alone, shrubs and herbs are more suitable for establishment in the Chinese Loess Plateau than tree vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental change factors can significantly affect the composition and physiology of soil microbes. How the resulting changes in the community composition are related to microbial functions, however, remains poorly understood. We investigated the effects of climate warming (+ 1.4°C of air temperature and + 0.75°C of soil temperature at 10 cm depth) and reactive nitrogen (N) input (12 g N m–2 year–1) on the community composition and physiologies of soil bacteria in a semiarid Loess grassland. Soil bacterial communities were assessed by Miseq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons while their physiological properties were assessed by microbial metabolic quotients (qCO2, microbial respiration per unit of microbial biomass) and microbial community-level physiological profiles (CLPPs). Our results showed that N input, but not warming, altered bacterial community structure, although both warming and N input significantly affected the abundances of certain phyla. While phyla Verrucomicrobia and Chloroflexi were sensitive to warming, Saccharibacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were primarily responsive to N input. Both warming and N input increased microbial metabolic quotients, but only warming significantly impacted soil microbial CLPPs with L-cysteine, oxalic acid, oxoglutaric acid and aminobutyric acid being the sensitive C sources. Structural equation modeling showed that warming and N input influenced soil bacterial phyla through soil moisture, soil NO3––N and plant biomass. The sensitive bacterial phyla, not the whole community property, were significantly correlated with qCO2 and microbial C utilization. Our findings suggest that responses of bacterial groups sensitive to environmental change factors, rather than the whole community, may exert dominant effects on soil microbial functions under future climate change scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-environmental sustainability is the basis for sustainable development in ecologically fragile areas. Land consolidation plays an important role in coordinating human-land relationships and achieving economic growth and eco-environment protection. Taking the Loess Plateau as the study area, this paper diagnoses the associated eco-environmental problems and their chain effect. The research results show that the overall eco-environment of the region is still relatively fragile. An eco-environment multi-subject co-management model, a scale-differentiated management model, and an elements comprehensive management model are proposed to improve the eco-environmental management efficiency after implementing land consolidation in the plateau. This paper takes the Gully Land Consolidation Project in Baota district of Yan'an city in Shaanxi province as an example to illustrate the relationship between land consolidation and eco-environmental sustainability in the Loess Plateau. Policy implications for eco-environmental protection in the Loess Plateau are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: With the wide application of 7Be (Beryllium-7) in soil erosion investigations, retention and interception of 7Be by vegetation plays an important role in documenting soil 7Be redistribution, with a large impact on the interpretation of 7Be measurements. However, the dynamic and temporal changes in plants and the relationship with soil 7Be concentration remain unclear, and the significance of dead plants in 7Be interception is under-researched. Methods: The samples of single plants (6 different species), compositive plants (including living and dead plants), along with soil reference on the Loess Plateau were collected individually to analyze the variations of 7Be concentration during the growth period from 2010 to 2012. Results: The accumulation of 7Be per mass is significantly higher in leaves than stems. The 7Be activity per mass and per area in living plants with seasonal trends ranged from 173.9 to 703.1 Bq kg–1 and 21.5 to 190.1 Bq m–2, respectively, and in dead plants ranged from 381.8 to 964.5 Bq kg–1 and 30.4 to 285.7 Bq m–2. Precipitation accounted for the largest contribution to the accumulation of 7Be in plants, followed by plant growth, species and parts. Plants accounted for 7Be interception on slope up to 66% (living plants accounted for 7% ~ 31% and dead plants accounted for 6% ~ 44%). The interception of living plants is low at first, then increases with the accumulation of rainfall and biomass together. Conclusions: Our results highlight that 7Be in plants (especially for the dead plants) is of great significance for 7Be in soil on the slope, and is controlled by precipitation, growth status and plant characteristics. The reference information obtained in this work will contribute to improving the accuracy of 7Be tracing technology, and broadening its scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of vegetation restoration on the soil erosion have been widely elucidated in the semi-arid regions. However, the magnitude of soil erosion on abandoned sloping farmland still remained unclear and their responses to vegetation succession were rarely addressed. The main objective of this study is to determine the magnitude of soil erosion along vegetation succession and explore the impact of vegetation succession on soil erosion from abandoned sloping farmland. Field observations were employed to monitor the rainfall, runoff, and soil erosion of seven sloping farmland plots with different abandoned ages and bare land from 2015 to 2019. The results indicated that the annual runoff depth and soil erosion modulus of vegetation types were in the range of 0.46 to 5.49 mm·a−1 and 1.3 to 24.5 t·km−2·a−1, respectively. The vegetation effectively reduced the annual surface runoff and soil erosion with reduction of 73.8% to 97.8% and 98.0% to 99.9% as opposed to bare land. However, there were no significant differences in runoff and soil erosion for different vegetation types along succession. The largest event of vegetation types contributed to 38.7%–44.1% of the annual runoff and 42.5%–66.3% of the annual soil erosion, respectively. Vegetation restoration considerably alleviated the contribution of largest erosive event to annual soil erosion. The relationships between soil erosion, runoff and rainfall factors could be fitted well by linear functions, and the performances of regression models in predicting runoff were more satisfactory compared to predicting soil erosion. The Artemisia gmelinii (Agm) + Stipa bungeana (Sb) optimized the trade-off between sediment reduction and runoff maintenance, which should be selected as the suitable vegetation types to achieve the sustainability of socio-ecological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]