Impact of slope farmland use change on ecosystem services value in China,2000-2020

Slope farmland is an important component of farmland resources in China.The utilization and change of slope farmland have significant effects on ecosystems,and understanding the impact of slope farmland change on ecosystem services(ESs)is critical for effective land utilization and ecosystem protection.This study aims to analyze slope farmland changes in China between 2000 and 2020 and quantify the impact of these changes on ESs by the use of a land use dynamic attitude study,and an ecosystem services value(ESV)equivalent.Results show that the area of slope farmland in China was mainly concentrated on slopes of 2°-6°,and exhibited a downward trend between 2000 and 2020.There were significant differences in the spatial distribution of the farmland,which was mainly located in the Taihang,Qinling,Wushan,and Xuefeng mountains.ESV increased by$179.235 million due to the conversion between slope farmland and forest,grassland,and construction land from 2000-2010.Conversely,from 2010 to 2020,ESV decreased by$2613.919 million due to the conversion of forest and grassland to slope farmland as well as the conversion of slope farmland to construction land.

Soil Organic Carbon Pools in Particle-Size Fractions as Affected by Slope Gradient and Land Use Change in Hilly Regions,Western Iran

This study was conducted to explore the effects of topography and land use changes on particulate organic carbon(POC),particulate total nitrogen(PTN),organic carbon(OC) and total nitrogen(TN) associated with different size primary particle fractions in hilly regions of western Iran.Three popular land uses in the selected site including natural forest(NF),disturbed forest(DF) and cultivated land(CL) and three slope gradients(0-10 %,S1,10-30 %,S2,and 30-50%,S3) were employed as the basis of soil sampling.A total of 99 soil samples were taken from the 0-10 cm surface layer in the whole studied hilly region studied.The results showed that the POC in the forest land use in all slope gradients was considerably more than the deforested and cultivated lands and the highest value was observed at NF-S1 treatment with 9.13%.The values of PTN were significantly higher in the forest land use and in the down slopes(0.5%) than in the deforested and cultivated counterparts and steep slopes(0.09%) except for the CL land use.The C:N ratios in POC fraction were around 17-18 in the forest land and around 23 in the cultivated land.In forest land,the silt-associated OC was highest among the primary particles.The enrichment factor of SOC,EC,was the highest for POC.For the primary particles,EC of both primary fractions of silt and clay showed following trend for selected land uses and slope gradients:CL> DF> NF and S3 > S2> S1.Slope gradient of landscape significantly affected the OC and TN contents associated with the silt and clay particles,whereas higher OC and TN contents were observed in lower positions and the lowest value was measured in the steep slopes.Overall,the results showed that native forest land improves soil organic carbon storage and can reduce the carbon emission and soil erosion especially in the mountainous regions with high rainfall in west of Iran.

A Study of Soil Nutrients in the Terrace Field Changed from Mountain Slope in Three Gorges Reservoir Region

In order to accurately grasp the soil fertility in Three Gorges Reservoir Region after changing mountain slope into terrace field,we take Wushan County for example,and use the spatio-temporal substitution method to analyze the soil nutrient status and trend about the terrace field changed from mountain slope under different length of implementation.The results show that the soil fertility is generally low in the study area,and according to the soil nutrient grading standards in the second national land survey,the average content of total nitrogen,available potassium,organic matter and available phosphorus reaches Standard III,Standard III,Standard IV and Standard V,respectively,and the spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients is small.Compared to the sloping land,the terrace field changed from mountain slope has increasing soil nutrients on the whole with the length of farming.The mean of various indicators about soil nutrients in the terrace field changed from mountain slope for 2 years is lower than in the sloping land,and there is the biggest difference in soil fertility,while the mean of various indicators about soil nutrients in the terrace field changed from mountain slope for 14 years shows a linear upward trend,and the difference in soil fertility decreases.

Significance of glacio-morphological factors in glacier retreat：a case study of part of Chenab basin,Himalaya

A study has been carried out in part of Chenab basin,Himalaya to understand the relationship between glacio-morphological factors and change in glacial area. Initially change in areal extent of glaciers was derived for two time frames(1962-2001/02 and 2001/02-2010/11). The study comprised of 324 glaciers for the monitoring period of 1962-2001/02 for,which 11% loss in glacial area was observed. Two hundred and thirty-eight glaciers were further monitored between 2001/02 and 2010/11. These glaciers showed an area loss of 1.1%. The annual deglaciation has been found to be higher during the period of 1962-2001/02 compared to 2001/02-2010/11. The spatial and temporal variability in deglaciation was also addressed usingglacio-morphic parameters. Area,length,percentage of debris cover,and various elevation parameters of glaciers were observed to have significant controls on relationships to the rate of glacial shrinkage. Largerarea and longer glaciers show a lower percentage of retreat than smaller and shorter ones. Moreover,glaciers located at lower altitudes and having gentle slopes show more area retreat. The results of area retreat in debris covered and debris free glaciers supports that the glaciers covered by debris retard ice melting at some extent. 158 glaciers were observed having no debris cover,and these exhibit 14% of loss in surface area. In glaciers having 40% debris cover,8% of deglaciation was observed. The glaciers located below equilibrium line altitude(ELA) have experienced 4.6% of deglaciation for the time frame 2001/02 – 2010/11 whereas it was found to be 1.1% for the glaciers occurring above ELA. However,theorientation of glaciers did not show any considerable influence on glacial change based on hypothesis.