Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (Jun 2024)

Effects of vegetation restoration on the temporal variability of soil moisture in the humid karst region of southwest China

  • Likai Hu,
  • Qiuwen Zhou,
  • Dawei Peng,
  • Chunmao Shi,
  • Qijia Sun,
  • Yundi Hu,
  • Yuan Li

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 53
p. 101852

Abstract

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Study region: a typical humid karst region of southwestern China. Study focus: Temporally stable soil moisture variability (SMV) helps clarify stress on vegetation growth. In the humid karst region of southwest China, large-scale vegetation restoration has affected the soil moisture. However, most studies here have focused on changes in the soil moisture content, and changes in the SMV have not been considered. New hydrological insights for the region: In this study, changes to the SMV after vegetation restoration were analyzed using two indicators: the soil moisture coefficient of variation(SMCV) and soil moisture memory(SMM). The results showed that the SMCV decreased by an average of 22.3 % and the SMM increased by an average of 17.2 % in the Karst region of southwest China. the SMV had significantly decreased after vegetation restoration, and the overall decrease was larger on 15-day, monthly, and yearly scales and smaller on the weekly scale.When the effects of different vegetation types were considered, SMV greatly decreased in forestland and grassland on the 15-day and monthly scales, in shrubland on the annual scale, and in sparse woodland on the 15-day, monthly, and annual scales. Four geomorphic regions in particular showed large reductions in the SMV: the karst basin, peak cluster depression, peak forest plain, and non-karst region. In addition, changes in SMV after vegetation restoration have a significant positive influence on geochemical and climatic factors and a non-significant negative influence on geological structure factors. Among them, the significant influence factors of CaO content and MgO content are greater than SiO2 content by 0.71 and 0.63. precipitation and temperature are greater than vapor pressure difference by 0.51 and 0.4. Overall, vegetation restoration was found to make the SMV in the humid karst region more stable.

Keywords