scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Rainfall Erosivity in the Tibetan Plateau

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhijia Gu ◽  
Detai Feng ◽  
Xingwu Duan ◽  
Kuifang Gong ◽  
Yawen Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Trend Test ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Daily Precipitation Data

The Tibetan Plateau is influenced by global climate change which results in frequent melting of glaciers and snow, and in heavy rainfalls. These conditions may increase the risk of soil erosion, but prediction is not feasible due to scarcity of rainfall data in the high altitudes of the region. In this study, daily precipitation data from 1 January 1981 to 31 December 2015 were selected for 38 meteorological stations in the Tibetan Plateau, and annual and seasonal rainfall erosivity were calculated for each station. Additionally, we used the Mann–Kendall trend test, Sen’s slope, trend coefficient, and climate tendency rate indicators to detect the temporal variation trend of rainfall erosivity. The results showed that the spatial distribution of rainfall erosivity in the Tibetan Plateau exhibited a significant decreasing trend from southeast to northwest. The average annual rainfall erosivity is 714 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1, and varies from 61 to 1776 MJ·mm·ha−1·h−1. Rainfall erosivity was mainly concentrated in summer and autumn, accounting for 67.5% and 18.5%, respectively. In addition, annual, spring, and summer rainfall erosivity were increasing, with spring rainfall erosivity highly significant. Temporal and spatial patterns of rainfall erosivity indicated that the risk of soil erosion was relatively high in the Hengduan mountains in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, as well as in the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley and its vicinity.

scholarly journals Temporal and Spatial Variations of Precipitation Change from Southeast to Northwest China during the Period 1961–2017

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2622
Author(s):  
Zhu Li ◽  
Honghu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Daily Precipitation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Heavy Rain ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Trend Test ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variations ◽  
Light Rain ◽  
Daily Precipitation Data ◽  
Northwest Region

Global climate change is significant, and the spatiotemporal variations of precipitation associated with it are pronounced. Based on the daily precipitation data from 10 weather stations located from southeast to northwest across China from 1961–2017, the Mann–Kendall trend test was generally applied to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of precipitation. The factors influencing the precipitation changes were investigated. The results revealed that (1) the annual, summer, and winter rainfall amount (RA) exhibited increasing rates of 16.36, 12.31, and 2.49 mm/10 year, respectively. The change rates of annual rainfall days (RD) were 2.68 day/10 year in the northwest region and −1.88 day/10 year in the southeast. The annual and seasonal daily precipitation on rainy days (RP) exhibited an increasing trend. (2) All of the RA, RD, and RP values initially increased, then decreased, and then slightly increased from Southeast to Northwest China. These results proved that the RA increased with the increase of light rain in Northwest China and heavy rain in Southeast China. In addition, changes in the monsoon have altered the rate at which RA, RD, and RP vary with distance from the sea. These findings may help to provide suggestions for the rational spatial utilization of water resources in China.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Variation in Rainfall Erosivity and Correlation with the ENSO on the Tibetan Plateau since 1971

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11054
Author(s):  
Bohao Cui ◽  
Yili Zhang ◽  
Linshan Liu ◽  
Zehua Xu ◽  
Zhaofeng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
La Niña ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
La Nina ◽  
Increasing Trend

Soil erosion is a serious ecological problem in the fragile ecological environment of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Rainfall erosivity is one of the most important factors controlling soil erosion and is associated with the El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO). However, there is a lack of studies related to the spatial distribution and temporal trends of rainfall erosivity on the TP as a whole. Additionally, the understanding of the general influence of ENSO on rainfall erosivity across the TP remains to be developed. In this study, long-term (1971–2020) daily precipitation data from 91 meteorological stations were selected to calculate rainfall erosivity. The analysis combines co-kriging interpolation, Sen’s slope estimator, and the Mann–Kendall trend test to investigate the spatiotemporal patten of rainfall erosivity across the TP. The Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) and multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) were chosen as ENSO phenomenon characterization indices, and the relationship between ENSO and rainfall erosivity was explored by employing a continuous wavelet transform. The results showed that an increasing trend in annual rainfall erosivity was detected on the TP from 1971 to 2020. The seasonal and monthly rainfall erosivity was highly uneven, with the summer erosivity accounting for 60.36%. The heterogeneous spatial distribution of rainfall erosivity was observed with an increasing trend from southeast to northwest. At the regional level, rainfall erosivity in the southeastern TP was mainly featured by a slow increase, while in the northwest was more destabilizing and mostly showed no significant trend. The rainfall erosivity on the whole TP was relatively high during non-ENSO periods and relatively low during El Niño/La Niña periods. It is worth noting that rainfall erosivity in the northwest TP appears to be more serious during the La Niña event. Furthermore, there were obvious resonance cycles between the rainfall erosivity and ENSO in different regions of the plateau, but the cycles had pronounced discrepancies in the occurrence time, direction of action and intensity. These findings contribute to providing references for soil erosion control on the TP and the formulation of future soil conservation strategies.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal Evolution Analysis of Rainfall Erosivity During 1901-2017 in Beijing, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanlin Li ◽  
Yi He ◽  
Yaru Zhang ◽  
Liping Jia
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Trend Test ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Pettitt Test ◽  
Variation Characteristics

Abstract Rainfall erosivity is regarded as one of the main factors affected soil erosion. Based on the 117 a monthly precipitation data of Beijing from 1901 to 2017, the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of rainfall erosivity in Beijing were analyzed by using Theil-Sen median analysis (Sen) and the Mann–Kendall (MK) trend test, R/S analysis method, cumulative anomaly method , MK mutation test method, Pettitt test, and wavelet analysis. The results showed that the average annual rainfall erosivity in Beijing ranged from 1080.6 to 6432.78 MJ • mm / (hm2 • h • a), with an average value of 3465.06 MJ • mm / (hm2 • h • a), showing a gradual decrease from southeast to northwest. In the seasonal distribution, 86% of rainfall erosivity was mainly concentrated in summer. In the past 117 years, the annual rainfall erosivity in most areas of Beijing had shown a downward trend, but its future trend also showed an increasing trend, indicating that Beijing, especially the northern part, was facing greater potential pressure of soil erosion. Through the cross validation of various methods, the abrupt change interval of rainfall erosivity in Beijing from 1901 to 2017 was from 1994 to 1997. The change of rainfall erosivity in Beijing has strong oscillation in 32 years and small periodic change in 15 and 7 years. The results will provide decision-making basis for soil erosion control and water/soil conservation planning. Additionally, they will be benefited to ensure the national agricultural and food security.

scholarly journals Impact of developing ENSO on the Tibetan Plateau summer rainfall

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-56
Author(s):  
Shuai Hu ◽  
Tianjun Zhou ◽  
Bo Wu
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
South Asian High ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Research Attention

AbstractThe year-to-year variations of Tibetan Plateau (TP) summer rainfall have tremendous climate impacts on the adjoining and even global climate, attracting extensive research attention in recent decades to understand the underlying mechanism. In this study, we investigate an open question of how the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences the TP precipitation. We show that the developing ENSO has significant impacts on the summer rainfall over the southwestern TP (SWTP), which is the second EOF mode of the interannual variability of summer rainfall over the TP. Moisture budget indicates that both the suppressed vertical motion and the deficit of moisture contribute to the reduction of SWTP rainfall during El Niño’s developing summer, with the former contribution four times larger than the latter. Moist static energy analyses indicate that the anomalous advection of climatological moist enthalpy by anomalous zonal wind is responsible for the anomalous descending motions over the SWTP. The El Niño-related southward displacements of the South Asian high and the upper-level cyclonic anomalies over the west of TP stimulated by the suppressed Indian summer monsoon precipitation are two key processes dominating the anomalous zonal moist enthalpy advection over SWTP. Meanwhile, the India-Burma monsoon trough is strengthened during El Niño developing summer, which prevents the water vapor into the SWTP, and thus contributes to the deficit of summer SWTP rainfall. Our results help to understand the complicated ENSO-related air-sea interaction responsible for the variability of TP precipitation and have implications for seasonal prediction of the TP climate.

scholarly journals Contrasting Evolution Patterns of Endorheic and Exorheic Lakes on the Central Tibetan Plateau and Climate Cause Analysis during 1988–2017

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 1962
Author(s):  
Zhilong Zhao ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Zengzeng Hu ◽  
Xuanhua Nie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
Mean Temperature

The alpine lakes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are indicators of climate change. The assessment of lake dynamics on the TP is an important component of global climate change research. With a focus on lakes in the 33° N zone of the central TP, this study investigates the temporal evolution patterns of the lake areas of different types of lakes, i.e., non-glacier-fed endorheic lakes and non-glacier-fed exorheic lakes, during 1988–2017, and examines their relationship with changes in climatic factors. From 1988 to 2017, two endorheic lakes (Lake Yagenco and Lake Zhamcomaqiong) in the study area expanded significantly, i.e., by more than 50%. Over the same period, two exorheic lakes within the study area also exhibited spatio-temporal variability: Lake Gaeencuonama increased by 5.48%, and the change in Lake Zhamuco was not significant. The 2000s was a period of rapid expansion of both the closed lakes (endorheic lakes) and open lakes (exorheic lakes) in the study area. However, the endorheic lakes maintained the increase in lake area after the period of rapid expansion, while the exorheic lakes decreased after significant expansion. During 1988–2017, the annual mean temperature significantly increased at a rate of 0.04 °C/a, while the annual precipitation slightly increased at a rate of 2.23 mm/a. Furthermore, the annual precipitation significantly increased at a rate of 14.28 mm/a during 1995–2008. The results of this study demonstrate that the change in precipitation was responsible for the observed changes in the lake areas of the two exorheic lakes within the study area, while the changes in the lake areas of the two endorheic lakes were more sensitive to the annual mean temperature between 1988 and 2017. Given the importance of lakes to the TP, these are not trivial issues, and we now need accelerated research based on long-term and continuous remote sensing data.

scholarly journals Observed Changes of Rain-Season Precipitation in China from 1960 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10031
Author(s):  
Yanyu Zhang ◽  
Shuying Zang ◽  
Xiangjin Shen ◽  
Gaohua Fan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Central China ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Daily Precipitation Data ◽  
Rain Season

Precipitation during the main rain season is important for natural ecosystems and human activities. In this study, according to daily precipitation data from 515 weather stations in China, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of rain-season (May–September) precipitation in China from 1960 to 2018. The results showed that rain-season precipitation decreased over China from 1960 to 2018. Rain-season heavy (25 ≤ p < 50 mm/day) and very heavy (p ≥ 50 mm/day) precipitation showed increasing trends, while rain-season moderate (10 ≤ p < 25 mm/day) and light (0.1 ≤ p < 10 mm/day) precipitation showed decreasing trends from 1960 to 2018. The temporal changes of precipitation indicated that rain-season light and moderate precipitation displayed downward trends in China from 1980 to 2010 and rain-season heavy and very heavy precipitation showed fluctuant variation from 1960 to 2018. Changes of rain-season precipitation showed clear regional differences. Northwest China and the Tibetan Plateau showed the largest positive trends of precipitation amount and days. In contrast, negative trends were found for almost all precipitation grades in North China Plain, Northeast China, and North Central China. Changes toward drier conditions in these regions probably had a severe impact on agricultural production. In East China, Southeast China and Southwest China, heavy and very heavy precipitation had increased while light and moderate precipitation had decreased. This result implied an increasing risk of flood and mudslides in these regions. The advance in understanding of precipitation change in China will contribute to exactly predict the regional climate change under the background of global climate change.

scholarly journals RUSLE Model Based Annual Soil Loss Quantification for Soil Erosion Protection in Fincha Catchment, Abay River Basin, Ethiopia.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habtamu Tamiru ◽  
Meseret Wagari
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Rainfall Erosivity ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Rusle Model ◽  
Factor C ◽  
Significant Factors

Abstract Background: The quantity of soil loss as a result of soil erosion is dramatically increasing in catchment where land resources management is very weak. The annual dramatic increment of the depletion of very important soil nutrients exposes the residents of this catchment to high expenses of money to use artificial fertilizers to increase the yield. This paper was conducted in Fincha Catchment where the soil is highly vulnerable to erosion, however, where such studies are not undertaken. This study uses Fincha catchment in Abay river basin as the study area to quantify the annual soil loss, where such studies are not undertaken, by implementing Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model developed in ArcGIS version 10.4. Results: Digital Elevation Model (12.5 x 12.5), LANDSAT 8 of Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), Annual Rainfall of 10 stations (2010-2019) and soil maps of the catchment were used as input parameters to generate the significant factors. Rainfall erosivity factor (R), soil erodibility factor (K), cover and management factor (C), slope length and steepness factor (LS) and support practice factor (P) were used as soil loss quantification significant factors. It was found that the quantified average annual soil loss ranges from 0.0 to 76.5 t ha-1 yr-1 was obtained in the catchment. The area coverage of soil erosion severity with 55%, 35% and 10% as low to moderate, high and very high respectively were identified. Conclusion: Finally, it was concluded that having information about the spatial variability of soil loss severity map generated in the RUSLE model has a paramount role to alert land resources managers and all stakeholders in controlling the effects via the implementation of both structural and non-structural mitigations. The results of the RUSLE model can also be further considered along with the catchment for practical soil loss quantification that can help for protection practices.

Paleoaltitudinal histories for the northern and southern margins of the Tibetan Plateau during the Late Cenozoic: revealed by GDGTs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chihao Chen ◽  
Yan Bai ◽  
Xiaomin Fang ◽  
Haichao Guo ◽  
Weilin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Late Miocene ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Lake Surface ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Plant Fossils ◽  
History Of ◽  
Monsoon System ◽  
Uplift History

&lt;p&gt;As an important driver of global climate change during the Cenozoic, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has strongly influenced the origination and evolution of the Asian monsoon system, and therefore the aridification of central Asia. Over the last two decades, the application of stable isotope paleoaltimeters and the discoveries of mammal and plant fossils have greatly promoted the understanding of the uplift history of the TP. However, paleoaltitudinal reconstructions based on different paleoaltimeters have suggested differing outcomes and therefore remain controversial. Novel paleoaltimeters have therefore needed to be developed and applied to constrain the uplift history of the TP more accurately and effectively by comparing and verifying multi-proxies. Paleothermometers based on glyceryl dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are widely used in terrestrial and ocean temperature reconstructions. In this study, GDGT-based paleothermometers were tentatively applied to the Gyirong Basin on the southern TP, and the Xining Basins on the northern TP, in an attempt to quantitatively reconstruct their paleoaltitudes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both soil and aquatic-typed branched GDGTs have been identified from Late Miocene to Mid-Pliocene (7.0-3.2 Ma) samples taken from the Gyirong Basin; their reconstructed paleotemperatures were 7.5&amp;#177;3.3&amp;#176;C and 14.2&amp;#177;4.5&amp;#176;C, respectively. The former temperature may represent the mean temperature of the terrestrial organic matter input area, while the latter may represent the lake surface temperature. The results would suggest that the lake surface of the Gyirong Basin during the Late Miocene to Mid-Pliocene was 2.5&amp;#177;0.8 km and that the surrounding mountains exceeded 3.6&amp;#177;0.6 km, implying that the central Himalayas underwent a rapid uplift of ~1.5 km after the Mid-Pliocene.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;GDGT-based paleotemperature reconstructions using MBT'&lt;sub&gt;5ME&lt;/sub&gt; values show that the Xining Basin dropped in temperature by ~10&amp;#176;C during the ~10.5-8 Ma period, exceeding that in sea surface temperatures and low-altitude terrestrial temperatures during these periods. By combining these results with contemporaneous tectonic and sedimentary records, we infer that these cooling events signaled the regional uplift with the amplitude of ~1 km of the Xining basins. Our results support that the TP was still growing and uplifting substantially since the Late Miocene, which may provide new evidence for understanding the growth, expansion and uplift patterns of the TP.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Comparison of satellite-based evapotranspiration estimates over the Tibetan Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 3167-3182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Peng ◽  
Alexander Loew ◽  
Xuelong Chen ◽  
Yaoming Ma ◽  
Zhongbo Su
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
North West ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a major role in regional and global climate. The understanding of latent heat (LE) flux can help to better describe the complex mechanisms and interactions between land and atmosphere. Despite its importance, accurate estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) over the TP remains challenging. Satellite observations allow for ET estimation at high temporal and spatial scales. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed cross-comparison of existing ET products over the TP. Six available ET products based on different approaches are included for comparison. Results show that all products capture the seasonal variability well with minimum ET in the winter and maximum ET in the summer. Regarding the spatial pattern, the High resOlution Land Atmosphere surface Parameters from Space (HOLAPS) ET demonstrator dataset is very similar to the LandFlux-EVAL dataset (a benchmark ET product from the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment), with decreasing ET from the south-east to north-west over the TP. Further comparison against the LandFlux-EVAL over different sub-regions that are decided by different intervals of normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), precipitation, and elevation reveals that HOLAPS agrees best with LandFlux-EVAL having the highest correlation coefficient (R) and the lowest root mean square difference (RMSD). These results indicate the potential for the application of the HOLAPS demonstrator dataset in understanding the land–atmosphere–biosphere interactions over the TP. In order to provide more accurate ET over the TP, model calibration, high accuracy forcing dataset, appropriate in situ measurements as well as other hydrological data such as runoff measurements are still needed.

Soil conservation service on the Tibetan Plateau, 1984–2013

2018 ◽  
Vol 109 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 445-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian SUN ◽  
Yu LIU ◽  
Tiancai ZHOU ◽  
Guohua LIU ◽  
Jingsheng WANG
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Alpine Steppe ◽  
Ecological Protection ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Regional Ecological Security

ABSTRACTSoil erosion can pose a serious problem to environmental quality and sustainable development. On the Tibetan Plateau, soil erosion is one of the main challenges to regional ecological security. Our analysis investigates soil erosion and evaluates its economic value in alpine steppe, alpine meadow, alpine desert steppe and forest ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau. Analysis was carried out from 1984 to 2013. The results show that the annual average potential soil erosion, practical soil erosion and soil conservation calculated by the Revised University Soil Loss Equation model were 2.19×109ta–1, 2.16×109ta–1 and 2.72×107ta–1, respectively. The economic value of retaining soil nutrients, reducing the formation of wasteland and the economic benefit of reducing sediment deposition were 1.98×108RMBa–1, 2.55×1012RMBa–1 and 7.44×104RMBa–1, respectively. From comparing different ecosystems, we found that the forest ecosystem had the greatest soil retention and economic values. We also found that the potential and actual soil erosion values were extremely high on the Tibetan Plateau. The study highlights that state and local policymakers must give greater emphasis to ecological protection in the future.

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