Regional differences in gully network connectivity based on graph theory:a case study on the Loess Plateau,China

Material exchange frequently occurs in gullies,and thus the relationship between a gullynetwork 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.

Land-use changes in the small watershed of the Loess Plateau,hilly-gully region, China

As more and more farmland is converted to forestry, the need for effective decision support regarding the use of land in the fragile ecological environment of the Loess Plateau hilly-gully area. The Luoyugou watershed was chosen as the study area to calculate the single dynamic degree, integrated dynamic degree, and change indexes of land use, as well as the land-use type transition matrix. This was done by interpreting the TM and SPOT images of the Luoyugou watershed in 1986, 1995, and2004 and making statistical analysis. The results of ou statistical analysis show that the conversion of slope farm land to terrace and forest land plays a dominant role in land-use changes in the Luoyugou watershed from 1986 to2004. The land-use changes are mainly driven by popula tion growth, socio-economic development, consume spending, and investment in forest ecology.

Eco-economic Background of Hilly-Gullied Loess Region and Optimized Eco-productive Paradigm of Small Watersheds

A thorough analysis on its natural environment as well as social economic status of the hilly-gullied loess region is presented. A small watershed, the dominant landscape unit of the region, has been singled out for further and specific study on landscape pattern and function, its social and economic distinctions. The authors proposed several principles based on its eco-economic background study, which includes water balance and efficient use principle, co-development of grass and agro-forestry principle, location optimization principle. Integrated with detailed analysis of a small watershed, an eco-productive paradigm for the loess land's development based on a small watershed scale was worked out. It consists of circle pattern with villages at core for high efficient agriculture production, hierarchical pattern along the slope for eco-economic development, point-axis pattern for commodity production and circulation in small watersheds and core-margin pattern for exchanges among watersheds.

Effects of Fertilization on Moisture Content of Soils in the Loess Hilly-gully Region

[Objective] The aim of this study was to study the influence of plants on the soil moisture content under different fertilization.[Method] Using sainfoin,sweet clover,Astragalus adsurgens,alfalfa,ryegrass,little flower,white clover as experimental material,this study explored the effects of soil moisture on the improvement of soil quality.[Result] Results showed that the soil moisture content of different plants follows as：sainfoin 〉sweet clover 〉Astragalus adsurgens 〉alfalfa perennial ryegrass 〉small crown 〉white clover,and the average moisture content reached 24.13% which was 2.45% higher than that of control group.At planting white clover,sweet clover,under the condition of 7 kinds of crops,in the treatments without fertilizer and with organic fertilizer,soil moisture content of soil in 0-20 cm grew significantly.[Conclusion] The application of organic fertilizer and growing of plants would improve soil moisture in abandoned fields,enhance the ability of soil water supply,and improve soil fertility.

De-farming and Ecological Restoration in the Loess Hilly-gully Region in Northern China

De-farming has been a powerful measure taken by the central and local governments of China for ecological restoration in the loess hilly-gully region since 2000. In years past, aid-based de-farming pattern was far and wide popularized in the region and terrace-based de-farming pattern demonstrated in a few small watersheds was also rather effective for ecological restoration. After summing up the features of three patterns (aid-based de-farming slope farmland more than 25°(AD25), aid-based de-farming slope farmland more than 15° (AD15) and terrace-based de-farming (TD)), this paper analyzed the regional difference of these patterns in de-farming area, ecological restoration, investment demand and so on. The results show that there are two crucial areas in the loess hilly-gully region for ecological restoration at the moment, the policies adaptation to the different areas should be constituted as soon as possible and the limited fund should be devoted to the two crucial areas.

A comparison between different ecological de-farming modes in the loess hilly-gully region in China

The eco-environmental restoration has been a chief task of the western development strategies carried out by the central and local governments of China since the late 1990s, and the ecological de-farming has been regarded as a powerful measure for the ecological restoration in the Loess Plateau and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. "Relieving and de-farming" (RD) and "rebuilding terrace and de-farming" (RTD) are two more mature ones among various de-farming modes. Taking the loess hilly-gully region as a case, this paper summarized the basic characteristics of RD and RTD modes, calculated the sizes of de-farming slope farmland, rebuilt terraces, enlarged garden plots and restored vegetation, and compared the differences of two modes in terms of de-farming area, ecological reestablishment index, investment demand amount and benefits. The results showed that RTD mode has many advantages, including suitable investment, sufficient grain supply and great benefits, and will be the best ecological reestablishment mode in the loess hilly-gully region, and RD mode which is being carried out in this region should be replaced by RTD mode as soon as possible.

Study on Rural Domestic Waste Treatment in Loess Plateau Region——Taking Longfang Town in Shaanxi Province as Example

With the continuous development of economy and changes in people’s lifestyle,rural domestic waste brought about serious harm to water,air,human health,ecological landscape and so forth.In this paper,taking Longfang Town in Loess Plateau region as example,the source,amount and harms of rural domestic waste were analyzed firstly,as well as the current situation and existing problems of treatment,and then a suitable waste disposal technology for the town was chosen,finally the reasonable treatment methods combining new countryside and non-new countryside with township was summed up,so as to realize the reduction,harmless and resource treatment of rural domestic waste.

Study on the Climate Changes Characteristics in the Hilly Region of the Loess Plateau and Its Influence on Agricultural Production

[Objective] The aim was to study the climate changes characteristics in the hilly region of the loess plateau and its influence on agricultural production.[Method] Taking Yan’an City as an example,and by dint of temperature and precipitation in nine meteorological stations from 1957 to 2007 and accumulated anomaly curve,linear regression and relevant analysis,the climate changes characteristics in 51 years in Yan’an were expounded.The climate changes in the hilly region of the loess plateau were studied and its influences on agricultural production were concluded.[Result] The characteristics of climate changes in the hilly region were as follow:high temperature in winter and warm winter trend was clearly;the temperature in spring enhanced fast and the drought disaster was increasing worse;rainy days occurred now and then in autumn.The climate changes had different levels of influences on agricultural production in Yan’an City.Because of rising temperature in winter,facility agriculture was vigorously developed and the apple range expanded;in the meantime,because of rising temperature in spring,drought was worsen and sowing in spring can not proceed;constant rain in autumn damaged the quality of date.[Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for the regional agricultural production and agricultural structure adjustment.

A GIS-based Modeling Approach for Fast Assessment of Soil Erosion by Water at Regional Scale, Loess Plateau of China

The objective of this study is to develop a unique modeling approach for fast assessment of massive soil erosion by water at a regional scale in the Loess Plateau, China. This approach relies on an understanding of both regional patterns of soil loss and its impact factors in the plateau area. Based on the regional characteristics of precipitation, vegetation and land form, and with the use of Landsat TM and ground investigation data, the entire Loess Plateau was first divided into 3 380 Fundamental Assessment Units （FAUs） to adapt to this regional modeling and fast assessment. A set of easily available parameters reflecting relevant water erosion factors at a regional scale was then developed, in which dynamic and static factors were discriminated. Arclnfo GIS was used to integrate all essential data into a central database. A resulting mathematical model was established to link the sediment yields and the selected variables on the basis of FAUs through overlay in GIS and multiple regression analyses. The sensitivity analyses and validation results show that this approach works effectively in assessing large area soil erosion, and also helps to understand the regional associations of erosion and its impact factors, and thus might significantly contribute to planning and policymaking for a large area erosion control in the Loess Plateau.

Research on the Development Model of Ecological Agriculture in Loess Hilly-Gully Region of Northern Shannxi, China

On the Loess Plateau of China, facing the vulnerable environment, local people have to try their best to guarantee the security of food, and at the same time, to control the most serious soil erosion in the world. The paper introduces two typical models of ecological agriculture: ecological agriculture with commodity and agri- culture with soil and water conservation. According to the local natural condition, the model of eco-agriculture with commodity could be characterized by the structure of “agriculture-byproduct”, “agriculture-fruit” or “agri- culture-forestry-husbandry”. The development of agriculture with soil and water conservation has decreased the soil erosion rate from 12,184 ton/km2 in 1980 to 458.4 ton/km2 in 1999, while the farmers’ income has increasingly risen. Analyses on the two models’ benefits both in terms of ecological and agricultural economy show that there is a great possibility to construct or restore good eco-environment with comprehensive control in the hilly-gully area of north Shannxi. Further more, the paper points out the potential problems of foodstuff production and stockbreeding development in forming ecological agriculture and eco-environmental restoration.

Compounding soils to improve cropland quality:A study based on field experiments and model simulations in the loess hilly-gully region,China

Increasing the quantity and improving the quality of cropland can alleviate the human-land contradiction and promote the sustainable development of agriculture especially in mountainous areas.With the support of the central government’s policies,Yan’an,Northern Shaanxi,China implemented a major land consolidation engineering project in the loess hilly-gully region from 2013 to 2018,achieving 33,333.3 ha of new cropland.However,the poor quality of some newly-constructed cropland at the initial stage hindered its efficient utilization.In order to overcome this problem,red clay and Malan loess were compounded in different volume ratios to explore the method to improve the cropland quality.The Root Zone Water Quality Model was used to simulate the effects of different soil treatments on soil water,nitrogen and maize growth.Experimental data were collected from 2018 to 2019 to calibrate and validate the model.The root mean square error(RMSE)of soil water content,nitrate nitrogen concentration,above-ground biomass,leaf area index were in the range of 11.72-14.06 mm,4.06-11.73 mg kg^(-1),835.21-1151.28 kg ha^(-1)and 0.24-0.47,respectively,while the agreement index(d)between measured and simulated values ranged from 0.70 to 0.96.It was showed that,compared with land constructed with Malan loess only(T1),the soil structure and hydraulic characteristics of land with a volume ratio of red clay and Malan loess of 2:1(T3)was better.Simulation indicated that,compared with T1,the soil water content and available water content of T3 increased by 14.4%and 19.0%,respectively,while N leaching decreased by 16.9%.The aboveground biomass and maize yield of T3 were 7.9%and 6.7%higher than that of T1,respectively.Furthermore,the water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency of T3 increased by 21.0%and 16.6%compared with that of T1.These results indicated that compounding red clay and Malan loess in an appropriate ratio was an effective method to improve soil quality.This study provides a technical idea and specific technical parameters for the construction or improvement of cropland in loess hilly-gully region,which may also provide reference for similar projects in other places.

Dynamic Land Use /Cover Change and Analysis of Landscape Pattern in the Hilly and Gully Region of Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Pengyang County in Southern Ningxia

The quantitative evaluation on land use /cover change as well as its influence on landscape pattern under the background of returning grain plots to forestry is significant to the sustainable utilization of land resources and ecological environment reconstruction in the southern Ningxia.Based on multi-temporal remote sensing data from four periods of Landsat TM /ETM,and combination of ecological quantity analytical method with GIS,the change of land use /cover and landscape pattern in Pengyang County of Ningxia Province were analyzed.The conclusions showed that the amount of each land use type was changed with different degrees,the area of forest /grass land increased,while farmland and unused land decreased.The change of landscape pattern was characterized as that the degree of landscape fragmentation,mixed distribution of patches,diversity index and evenness index increased gradually and then decreased,the connectivity between patches decreased gradually and then increased,and landscape shape presented irregular.

Autumn Daily Characteristics of Land Surface Heat and Water Exchange over the Loess Plateau Mesa in China

The Loess Plateau, located in northern China, has a significant impact on the climate and ecosystem evolvement over the East Asian continent. In this paper, the preliminary autumn daily characteristics of land surface energy and water exchange over the Chinese Loess Plateau mesa region are evaluated by using data collected during the Loess Plateau land-atmosphere interaction pilot experiment （LOPEX04）, which was conducted from 25 August to 12 September 2004 near Pingliang city, Gansu Province of China. The experiment was carried out in a region with a typical landscape of the Chinese Loess Plateau, known as ＂loess mesa＂. The experiment＇s field land utilizations were cornfield and fallow farmland, with the fallow field later used for rotating winter wheat. The autumn daily characteristics of heat and water exchange evidently differed between the mesa cornfield and fallow, and the imbalance term of the surface energy was large. This is discussed in terms of sampling errors in the flux observations-footprint; energy storage terms of soil and vegetation layers; contribution from air advections; and low and high frequency loss of turbulent fluxes and instruments bias. Comparison of energy components between the mesa cornfield and the lowland cornfield did not reveal any obvious difference. Inadequacies of the field observation equipment and experimental design emerged during the study, and some new research topics have emerged from this pilot experiment for future investigation.

Vegetation and environmental changes in western Chinese Loess Plateau since 13.0 ka BP

Pollen records from the Chinese Loess Plateau revealed a detailed history of vegetation variation and associated climate changes during the last 13.0 ka BP. Before 12.1 ka BP, steppe or desert-steppe vegetation dominated landscape then was replaced by a coniferous forest under a generally wet climate （12.1-11.0 ka BP）. The vegetation was deteriorated into steppe landscape and further into a desert-steppe landscape between 11.0 and 9.8 ka BP. After a brief episode of a cool and wet climate （9.8-9.6 ka BP）, a relatively mild and dry condition prevailed during the early Holocene （9.6-7.6 ka BP）. The most favourable climate of warm and humid period occurred during mid-Holocene （7.6-4.0 ka BP） marked by forest-steppe landscape and vegetation alternatively changed between steppe and desert-steppe from -4.0 to -1.0 ka BP.

Quantitative analysis of the dynamic change and spatial differences of the ecological security: a case study of Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi Province

Using the theory and method of the ecological footprint, and combining the changes of regional land use, resource environment, population, society and economy, this paper calculated the ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity and ecological surplus/loss in 1986-2002 on the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi Province. What is more, this paper has put forward the concept of ecological pressure index, set up ecological pressure index models, and ecological security grading systems, and the prediction models of different ecological footprints, ecological carrying capacity, ecological surplus and ecological safety change, and also has assessed the ecological footprint demands of 10,000 yuan GDE The results of this study are as follows： （1） the ecological carrying capacity in northern Shaanxi shows a decreasing trend, the difference of reducing range is the fastest; （2） the ecological footprint appears an increasing trend; （3） ecological pressure index rose to 0.91 from 0.44 during 1986-2002 on the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi with an increase of 47%; and （4） the ecological security in the study area is in a critical state, and the ecological oressure index has been increasing rapidlv.

Dynamic Simulation of Land Use in the Southern Loess Plateau

To study the dynamic changes of land use and predict the future land use scenarios based on the current land use,this paper uses Cellular Automata- Markov( CA- Markov) model to simulate the landscape pattern in 2030. The results show that in the study area during the period 1980- 2005,grassland and construction land increased,and woodland increased slightly; waters and unused land decreased,and arable land underwent dramatic changes. The simulation precision of CA- Markov model is 87. 28%,indicating that the use of it for simulation is reliable. The land use of the study area will be changed greatly in the future. This method provides a reference for the regions to carry out land prediction,and the research results can provide a basis for the study of optimization of land.

THE SYSTEMATIC DYNAMIC EMULATION ON THE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE LOESS PLATEAU

The Loess Plateau, covered with thick loess, lies in the middle reaches of the YellowRiver to the west of the Taihangshan Mountains, east of the Wuqiao Mountains south ofYinshan Mountains and north of the Qinling Mountains with a total area of 56×10~4km^2.The plateau is 1000--2500m above sea level and has loess as thick as 100--200 metres, be-

Review on Regional Climate Change Induced by Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Uplift

[Objective]The aim was to study the influence of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift on regional climate in China.[Method] Trough relevant study of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding movement,the tectonic movement of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas,especially the case of the impact caused by plateau phased uplift were studied based on paleomagnetic measurements.[Result]The increasing Qinghai-Tibet Plateau led to obvious transition from dry to cold in northwest China and it became dry quickly,which led to loess accumulation,replacement of vegetation types and human activity.Meanwhile,it was dry,and there was certain degree of climate changes in the area.[Conclusion] Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had far-reaching significance on basic climate characteristics in northwest China.

黄土高原河谷城镇“川—沟”融合单元发展路径研究

通过分析黄土高原河谷城镇独特的城乡关系与发展困境,认为川道与次沟空间结构一体化、功能结构差异化发展是振兴黄土高原丘陵沟壑区的重要突破口,由此提出“川—沟”融合单元的概念内涵与划定方法。以榆林市绥德县为例,打破镇域行政边界和小流域镇村体系,基于川道城镇和次沟乡镇的空间关联关系划定10个融合单元,并从用地形态结构、产业经济地理、服务设施配置等方面对融合单元的空间构型、功能类型和服务水平进行剖析,探讨川道与次沟协同视角下以融合单元为抓手推动黄土高原河谷城镇高效发展和管控治理的新路径。

文化保护与乡村振兴协同的杨家沟建设规划研究

以杨家沟为代表的一类特殊乡村具有红色文化资源丰富但地处偏远、对外交通不便、产业基础薄弱、土地资源紧缺等特征,长期面临红色文化资源保护与乡村振兴的双重压力.基于乡村地域系统理论与评估框架,诊断杨家沟乡村子系统发展水平及问题,结果表明:杨家沟乡村子系统呈两极化发展水平,虽然红色文化资源丰富、历史文化底蕴深厚,但在生态环境脆弱、土地资源紧缺、遗产保护要求约束的影响下,该村农业和旅游业难以充分发展,导致人口外流、产业空心化、经济发展缓慢,进一步加剧遗址维护人员及资金短缺、遗址保护管理不善等问题.对此,规划提出“红色文化+X”的发展模式,形成文化遗产带动红色旅游、红色旅游反哺遗产保护、促进乡村振兴的良性循环,并采用“枝状网络分形”的空间布局,解决遗址环境保护与旅游产业发展、移民搬迁安置的潜在用地冲突.