The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors.
A dry soil layer (DSL) is a common soil desiccation phenomenon that generally forms at a particular depth in the soil profile because of climatic factors and poor land management, and this phenomenon can influence the water cycle and has been observed on the Loess Plateau of China and other similar...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4524687?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818889965817298944 |
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| author | Weiming Yan Lei Deng Yangquanwei Zhong Zhouping Shangguan |
| author_facet | Weiming Yan Lei Deng Yangquanwei Zhong Zhouping Shangguan |
| author_sort | Weiming Yan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A dry soil layer (DSL) is a common soil desiccation phenomenon that generally forms at a particular depth in the soil profile because of climatic factors and poor land management, and this phenomenon can influence the water cycle and has been observed on the Loess Plateau of China and other similar regions around the world. Therefore, an investigation of the DSL formation depth (DSLFD), thickness (DSLT) and mean water content (MWDSL) on the Loess Plateau can provide valuable information. This paper synthesized 69 recent publications (1,149 observations of DSLs from 73 sites) that focused on DSLs in this region, and the results indicated that DSLs are significantly affected by climatic and vegetation factors. The mean annual precipitation had a significant positive relationship with DSLFD (p = 0.0003) and MWDSL (p<0.0001) and a negative relationship with DSLT (p = 0.0071). Crops had the lowest DSLT and highest MWDSL values compared with other vegetation types. A significant correlation was observed between the occurrence of DSLs and the years since planting for grasses, shrubs, trees and orchards, and the severity of DSLs increased with increasing planting years and wheat yield. Our results suggest that optimizing land-use management can mitigate DSL formation and development on the Loess Plateau. Understanding the dominant factors affecting DSLs will provide information for use in guidelines for the sustainable development of economies and restoration of natural environments experiencing water deficiencies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T17:17:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-36318556bba740efb5c83f502eefbaf4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T17:17:24Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-36318556bba740efb5c83f502eefbaf42022-12-21T20:12:50ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01108e013490210.1371/journal.pone.0134902The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors.Weiming YanLei DengYangquanwei ZhongZhouping ShangguanA dry soil layer (DSL) is a common soil desiccation phenomenon that generally forms at a particular depth in the soil profile because of climatic factors and poor land management, and this phenomenon can influence the water cycle and has been observed on the Loess Plateau of China and other similar regions around the world. Therefore, an investigation of the DSL formation depth (DSLFD), thickness (DSLT) and mean water content (MWDSL) on the Loess Plateau can provide valuable information. This paper synthesized 69 recent publications (1,149 observations of DSLs from 73 sites) that focused on DSLs in this region, and the results indicated that DSLs are significantly affected by climatic and vegetation factors. The mean annual precipitation had a significant positive relationship with DSLFD (p = 0.0003) and MWDSL (p<0.0001) and a negative relationship with DSLT (p = 0.0071). Crops had the lowest DSLT and highest MWDSL values compared with other vegetation types. A significant correlation was observed between the occurrence of DSLs and the years since planting for grasses, shrubs, trees and orchards, and the severity of DSLs increased with increasing planting years and wheat yield. Our results suggest that optimizing land-use management can mitigate DSL formation and development on the Loess Plateau. Understanding the dominant factors affecting DSLs will provide information for use in guidelines for the sustainable development of economies and restoration of natural environments experiencing water deficiencies.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4524687?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Weiming Yan Lei Deng Yangquanwei Zhong Zhouping Shangguan The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors. PLoS ONE |
| title | The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors. |
| title_full | The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors. |
| title_fullStr | The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors. |
| title_short | The Characters of Dry Soil Layer on the Loess Plateau in China and Their Influencing Factors. |
| title_sort | characters of dry soil layer on the loess plateau in china and their influencing factors |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4524687?pdf=render |
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