Historical and projected evolutions of glaciers in response to climate change in High Mountain Asia.

Glacier changes are regarded as the conspicuous icon of climate change in High Mountain Asia (HMA) alpine environments. Multi-temporal glacier coverage is essential for mass balance estimations and understanding glacial changes in response to climate variability. However, consistent multi-temporal glacier area datasets across the HMA are limited due to challenges posed by seasonal snow and cloud cover in remote sensing satellite images.

[Identification of Nitrate Source of Surface Water in a Typical Peri-urban Watershed in the Tableland of the Loess Plateau, China].

With the rapid development of industry and agriculture, nitrate pollution in surface water has become one of the serious environmental problems in the Loess Plateau region. In this study, Yanwachuan watershed, a typical suburban watershed in the gully region of a loess plateau, was selected as the research area. Using hydrochemical data and nitrogen and oxygen bistable isotopes, combined with the SIAR model, the contribution rates of different pollution sources of nitrate in surface water in the dry season and wet season were quantitatively identified, and the main reasons for seasonal differences in different pollution sources were clarified.

Evaluation of the Ecological Environment Quality of the Kuye River Source Basin Using the Remote Sensing Ecological Index.

Landsat remote sensing images obtained from 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 were analyzed. The normalized vegetation index (NDVI), moisture index (WET), land surface temperature (LST), and normalized building-soil index (NDBSI) were extracted based on the four aspects of greenness, humidity, heat, and dryness. The Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) was calculated using principal component analysis to quantitatively analyze and dynamically monitor and evaluate the ecological environment changes in the Kuye River Basin over the past 20 years.

[Effects of shrub patch pattern on runoff and sediment yield].

Understanding the changes of runoff, sediment transport, and hydrodynamic parameters of slopes under the influence of landscape patch coverage and connectivity is of great significance for revealing the hydrodynamic mechanism and hydrological connectivity of slope soil erosion process. In this study, the changes of runoff, sediment transport and hydrodynamic parameters of downhill surface in different coverage levels (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 90%) and different connectivity modes (vertical path, horizonal path, S-shaped path, random patches) of shrublands were analyzed by field artificial simulated rainfall test. The results showed that, with the increases of shrub cove-rage, runoff yield and sediment yield decreased exponentially.

Hydrologic alteration and possible underlying causes in the Wuding River, China.

Understanding hydrological alteration of rivers and the potential driving factors are crucial for water resources management in the watershed. This study analyzed the daily runoff time series at six gauging stations during 1960-2016 in Wuding River basin, northwestern China. The Mann-Kendall test and Lee-Heghinian method were employed to detect the temporal trends and abrupt changes in annual streamflow.

Reduced sediment transport in the Chinese Loess Plateau due to climate change and human activities.

The sediment load on the Chinese Loess Plateau has sharply decreased in recent years. However, the contribution of terrace construction and vegetation restoration projects to sediment discharge reduction remains uncertain. In this paper, eight catchments located in the Loess Plateau were chosen to explore the effects of different driving factors on sediment discharge changes during the period from the 1960s to 2012.

Assessing response of sediment load variation to climate change and human activities with six different approaches.

Understanding the relative contributions of climate change and human activities to variations in sediment load is of great importance for regional soil, and river basin management. Considerable studies have investigated spatial-temporal variation of sediment load within the Loess Plateau; however, contradictory findings exist among methods used. This study systematically reviewed six quantitative methods: simple linear regression, double mass curve, sediment identity factor analysis, dam-sedimentation based method, the Sediment Delivery Distributed (SEDD) model, and the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model.

Dynamic sediment discharge in the Hekou-Longmen region of Yellow River and soil and water conservation implications.

The middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin transport the vast majority of sediment (>85% of the basin's total available sediment load), which has had profound effects on the characteristics of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. Since the late 1950s, soil and water conservation measures have been extensively implemented in the Loess Plateau, China, especially since the 1970s. This has resulted in sediment discharge changing significantly.

Soil characterization and differential patterns of heavy metal accumulation in woody plants grown in coal gangue wastelands in Shaanxi, China.

Soil contamination by heavy metals in coal mine wastelands is a significant environmental issue in most developing countries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate contamination characteristics in the coal mine wastelands of Sanlidong coal mine, Tongchuan, China. To achieve this goal, we conducted field sampling work, followed by further analysis of the properties of soil contamination and accumulation characteristics in woody plants.

Co-evolution of soil and water conservation policy and human-environment linkages in the Yellow River Basin since 1949.

Policy plays a very important role in natural resource management as it lays out a government framework for guiding long-term decisions, and evolves in light of the interactions between human and environment. This paper focuses on soil and water conservation (SWC) policy in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), China. The problems, rural poverty, severe soil erosion, great sediment loads and high flood risks, are analyzed over the period of 1949-present using the Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework as a way to organize analysis of the evolution of SWC policy.

Interactive effects of moss-dominated crusts and Artemisia ordosica on wind erosion and soil moisture in Mu Us sandland, China.

To better understand the effects of biological soil crusts (BSCs) on soil moisture and wind erosion and study the necessity and feasibility of disturbance of BSCs in the Mu Us sandland, the effects of four treatments, including moss-dominated crusts alone, Artemisia ordosica alone, bare sand, and Artemisia ordosica combined with moss-dominated crusts, on rainwater infiltration, soil moisture, and annual wind erosion were observed. The major results are as follows. (1) The development of moss-dominated crusts exacerbated soil moisture consumption and had negative effects on soil moisture in the Mu Us sandland.

Variation of runoff and precipitation in the Hekou-Longmen region of the Yellow River based on elasticity analysis.

Precipitation is very important to the formation of runoff, and studying of runoff variation and its response to precipitation has practical significance to sustainable utilization of water resources. The study used Mann-Kendall test, anomaly accumulation method, and precipitation elasticity of runoff method to analyze the changes in the relation of precipitation and runoff and the contribution of precipitation to runoff change in the Hekou-Longmen region (from 1957 to 2010), Huangfuchuan watershed (from 1954 to 2010), and Yanhe watershed (from 1952 to 2010) in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The results showed that runoff appeared a significant decreasing trend (P = 0.

Effects of thinning intensities on soil infiltration and water storage capacity in a Chinese pine-oak mixed forest.

Thinning is a crucial practice in the forest ecosystem management. The soil infiltration rate and water storage capacity of pine-oak mixed forest under three different thinning intensity treatments (15%, 30%, and 60%) were studied in Qinling Mountains of China. The thinning operations had a significant influence on soil infiltration rate and water storage capacity.

Global plant-responding mechanisms to salt stress: physiological and molecular levels and implications in biotechnology.

The increasing seriousness of salinization aggravates the food, population and environmental issues. Ameliorating the salt-resistance of plants especially the crops is the most effective measure to solve the worldwide problem. The salinity can cause damage to plants mainly from two aspects: hyperosmotic and hyperionic stresses leading to the restrain of growth and photosynthesis.

Temporal variation of streamflow, sediment load and their relationship in the Yellow River basin, China.

Variation of streamflow and sediment load in the Yellow River basin has received considerable attention due to its drastic reduction during the past several decades. This paper presents a detailed investigation on the changes of streamflow and sediment load from 1952 to 2011 using monthly observations at four gauging stations along the Yellow River. The results show significant decreasing trends for both streamflow and sediment load at all four gauging stations over the past 60 years.