Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau
Abstract Soil conservation is of global importance, as accelerated soil erosion by human activity is a primary threat to ecosystem viability. However, the significance and role of soil conservation in reshaping landscape carbon (C) accounting has not been comprehensively integrated in the terrestria...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Earth's Future |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003602 |
| _version_ | 1797771028729954304 |
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| author | Lishan Ran Nufang Fang Xuhui Wang Shilong Piao Chun Ngai Chan Siliang Li Yi Zeng Zhihua Shi Mingyang Tian Yi‐jun Xu Junyu Qi Boyi Liu |
| author_facet | Lishan Ran Nufang Fang Xuhui Wang Shilong Piao Chun Ngai Chan Siliang Li Yi Zeng Zhihua Shi Mingyang Tian Yi‐jun Xu Junyu Qi Boyi Liu |
| author_sort | Lishan Ran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Soil conservation is of global importance, as accelerated soil erosion by human activity is a primary threat to ecosystem viability. However, the significance and role of soil conservation in reshaping landscape carbon (C) accounting has not been comprehensively integrated in the terrestrial C sink. Here, we present the first integrated assessment of the modified terrestrial C sink and aquatic C transport due to soil conservation for the semiarid Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), the world's most vulnerable region to soil erosion. We show a surprisingly low terrestrial‐aquatic C transfer that offset the terrestrial net ecosystem productivity by only 7.5%, which we attribute to the effective implementation of soil conservation practices. Despite the highest soil erosion, the semiarid CLP acts as effective C sink at 43.2 ± 22.6 g C m−2 year−1, which is comparable to temperate forest in absorbing atmospheric CO2. Moreover, C burial in reservoirs has created an additional anthropogenic C sink of 2.9 ± 1.1 g C m−2 year−1. Our findings indicate that effective soil conservation can significantly increase landscape C sequestration capacity. The co‐benefits of soil conservation in erosion control and C sequestration have important implications for policy makers in other regions undergoing increasing erosion intensity to pursue environmental sustainability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:30:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e2d17c6aacc4bc8a7176adbaa21508b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2328-4277 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:30:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth's Future |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e2d17c6aacc4bc8a7176adbaa21508b2023-07-27T19:18:31ZengWileyEarth's Future2328-42772023-07-01117n/an/a10.1029/2023EF003602Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess PlateauLishan Ran0Nufang Fang1Xuhui Wang2Shilong Piao3Chun Ngai Chan4Siliang Li5Yi Zeng6Zhihua Shi7Mingyang Tian8Yi‐jun Xu9Junyu Qi10Boyi Liu11Department of Geography and Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong KongInstitute of Soil and Water Conservation Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources Yangling ChinaSino‐French Institute for Earth System Science College of Urban and Environmental Sciences Peking University Beijing ChinaSino‐French Institute for Earth System Science College of Urban and Environmental Sciences Peking University Beijing ChinaDepartment of Geography and Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong KongInstitute of Surface‐Earth System Science School of Earth System Science Tianjin University Tianjin ChinaInstitute of Soil and Water Conservation Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources Yangling ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan ChinaInstitute for Geology Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) Universität Hamburg Hamburg GermanySchool of Renewable Natural Resources Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Baton Rouge LA USAEarth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland College Park MD USADepartment of Geography and Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong KongAbstract Soil conservation is of global importance, as accelerated soil erosion by human activity is a primary threat to ecosystem viability. However, the significance and role of soil conservation in reshaping landscape carbon (C) accounting has not been comprehensively integrated in the terrestrial C sink. Here, we present the first integrated assessment of the modified terrestrial C sink and aquatic C transport due to soil conservation for the semiarid Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), the world's most vulnerable region to soil erosion. We show a surprisingly low terrestrial‐aquatic C transfer that offset the terrestrial net ecosystem productivity by only 7.5%, which we attribute to the effective implementation of soil conservation practices. Despite the highest soil erosion, the semiarid CLP acts as effective C sink at 43.2 ± 22.6 g C m−2 year−1, which is comparable to temperate forest in absorbing atmospheric CO2. Moreover, C burial in reservoirs has created an additional anthropogenic C sink of 2.9 ± 1.1 g C m−2 year−1. Our findings indicate that effective soil conservation can significantly increase landscape C sequestration capacity. The co‐benefits of soil conservation in erosion control and C sequestration have important implications for policy makers in other regions undergoing increasing erosion intensity to pursue environmental sustainability.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003602terrestrial‐aquatic carbon transferland carbon sinkgreenhouse gas emissionssoil conservationChinese Loess Plateau |
| spellingShingle | Lishan Ran Nufang Fang Xuhui Wang Shilong Piao Chun Ngai Chan Siliang Li Yi Zeng Zhihua Shi Mingyang Tian Yi‐jun Xu Junyu Qi Boyi Liu Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau Earth's Future terrestrial‐aquatic carbon transfer land carbon sink greenhouse gas emissions soil conservation Chinese Loess Plateau |
| title | Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau |
| title_full | Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau |
| title_short | Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial‐Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation in the Chinese Loess Plateau |
| title_sort | substantially enhanced landscape carbon sink due to reduced terrestrial aquatic carbon transfer through soil conservation in the chinese loess plateau |
| topic | terrestrial‐aquatic carbon transfer land carbon sink greenhouse gas emissions soil conservation Chinese Loess Plateau |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003602 |
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