The Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Soil Erosion in the Qinling-Daba Mountains Based on RUSLE Model

Abstract

[Objective] The Qinling-Daba Mountains region (QDM) is the important geographical transitional zone across the north and south of China. A comprehensive and systematic analysis of soil erosion in QDM is essential for the planning of soil and water conservation measures, and the sustainable agriculture development. [Methods] Based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), we calculate the soil erosion modulus in the QDM and analyze the spatiotemporal characteristic of the soil erosion in the study region from 2000 to 2020. [Results] (1) From 2000 to 2020, the areas of soil erosion in the QDM showed an upward trend. Spatially, the areas of higher soil erosion modulus were located in the northeast and southwest of the QDM, while the areas of lower soil erosion modulus were distributed in the central of the study region; (2) The areas with severe soil erosion are mainly concentrated in area with 500 ~ 1 500 m, and areas with 15 °~ 35°; (3) The land-use pattern with the highest soil erosion rates were forest, and the lowest soil erosion rate were found grass; (4) The areas with soil erosion were mainly located in Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Gansu. Severe erosion showed an upward trend in Gansu and Sichuan during 2000-2020. [Conclusion] Both erosion area and erosion intensity in the QDM showed decreasing trend, while the differences in the distribution pattern of erosion intensity were found in this study region.

Keywords

• qinling-daba mountains
• soil erosion
• revised universal soil loss equation
• land use
• topographical factor