Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast China
Agricultural expansion is one of the primary land use changes on the Earth’s surface. The Songnen Plain in Northeast China is renowned for its Black Soil and is one of the most important agricultural regions of this country. In the last century, its population increased 20-fold and excessi...
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MDPI AG
2018-07-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/7/1108 |
| _version_ | 1798031372955156480 |
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| author | Lijuan Zhang Cuizhen Wang Xiaxiang Li Hongwen Zhang Wenliang Li Lanqi Jiang |
| author_facet | Lijuan Zhang Cuizhen Wang Xiaxiang Li Hongwen Zhang Wenliang Li Lanqi Jiang |
| author_sort | Lijuan Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Agricultural expansion is one of the primary land use changes on the Earth’s surface. The Songnen Plain in Northeast China is renowned for its Black Soil and is one of the most important agricultural regions of this country. In the last century, its population increased 20-fold and excessive areas of grassland were cultivated. Based on a series of decadal land use/land cover data sets in the plain (1910s–2010s), this study simulated the water balance in each decade using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and assessed the water effects of centurial agricultural expansion. Six variables were simulated to explain the land-atmosphere interaction: precipitation, total evapotranspiration, canopy transpiration, canopy interception evaporation, land evaporation and land surface runoff and infiltration. Agreeing with historical climate reanalysis data, the simulated precipitation in the plain did not have a significant trend. However, the total evapotranspiration significantly increased in the study region. The canopy transpiration and interception evaporation increased and the runoff and infiltration decreased, both indicating a drought effect in soil. The drying trend varied spatially with the strongest pattern in the central plain where large areas of wetlands remain. As a consequence of agricultural expansion, the centurial drying process in the fertile Black Soil may put strong pressure on the crop productivity and food safety of this important agricultural region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:55:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eae8f73348124edbbc72ac8dac690a1d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:55:22Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-eae8f73348124edbbc72ac8dac690a1d2022-12-22T04:06:09ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922018-07-01107110810.3390/rs10071108rs10071108Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast ChinaLijuan Zhang0Cuizhen Wang1Xiaxiang Li2Hongwen Zhang3Wenliang Li4Lanqi Jiang5Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, ChinaDepartment of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USAKey Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaKey Laboratory of Land Surface Process and Climate Change, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaDepartment of Geological and Atmospheric Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USAInnovation and Opening Laboratory of Regional Eco-Meteorology in Northeast, China Meteorological Administration, Meteorological Academician Workstation of Heilongjiang Province, Heilongjiang Province Institute of Meteorological Sciences China, Harbin 150030, ChinaAgricultural expansion is one of the primary land use changes on the Earth’s surface. The Songnen Plain in Northeast China is renowned for its Black Soil and is one of the most important agricultural regions of this country. In the last century, its population increased 20-fold and excessive areas of grassland were cultivated. Based on a series of decadal land use/land cover data sets in the plain (1910s–2010s), this study simulated the water balance in each decade using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and assessed the water effects of centurial agricultural expansion. Six variables were simulated to explain the land-atmosphere interaction: precipitation, total evapotranspiration, canopy transpiration, canopy interception evaporation, land evaporation and land surface runoff and infiltration. Agreeing with historical climate reanalysis data, the simulated precipitation in the plain did not have a significant trend. However, the total evapotranspiration significantly increased in the study region. The canopy transpiration and interception evaporation increased and the runoff and infiltration decreased, both indicating a drought effect in soil. The drying trend varied spatially with the strongest pattern in the central plain where large areas of wetlands remain. As a consequence of agricultural expansion, the centurial drying process in the fertile Black Soil may put strong pressure on the crop productivity and food safety of this important agricultural region.http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/7/1108agricultural expansiondrought effectwater cycleWRFthe Songnen Plain |
| spellingShingle | Lijuan Zhang Cuizhen Wang Xiaxiang Li Hongwen Zhang Wenliang Li Lanqi Jiang Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast China Remote Sensing agricultural expansion drought effect water cycle WRF the Songnen Plain |
| title | Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast China |
| title_full | Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast China |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast China |
| title_short | Impacts of Agricultural Expansion (1910s–2010s) on the Water Cycle in the Songneng Plain, Northeast China |
| title_sort | impacts of agricultural expansion 1910s 2010s on the water cycle in the songneng plain northeast china |
| topic | agricultural expansion drought effect water cycle WRF the Songnen Plain |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/7/1108 |
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