Articles | Volume 7, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-167-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-167-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
01 Feb 2016
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 01 Feb 2016
Integrating a mini catchment with mulching for soil water management in a sloping jujube orchard on the semiarid Loess Plateau of China
H. C. Li
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
X. D. Gao
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
P. T. Wu
Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China
L. S. Li
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
Q. Ling
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
W. H. Sun
College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
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Weibin Zhang, Xining Zhao, Xuerui Gao, Wei Liang, Junyi Li, and Baoqing Zhang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-88, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-88, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
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An integrated framework was applied in the Yellow River basin to assess the water crisis. Results indicate worsening water scarcity during 1965‒2013, driven by irrigation and climate changes. Local water yield and upstream flows are key drivers of sub-basin water availability. To reduce the water deficit of 10 km3 by 2030s, enhancing irrigation efficiency and water transfer project are crucial, emphasizing the imperative of combining supply and demand-oriented measures to solve the water crisis.
Nana He, Xiaodong Gao, Dagang Guo, Yabiao Wu, Dong Ge, Lianhao Zhao, Lei Tian, and Xining Zhao
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1897–1914, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1897-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1897-2024, 2024
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Deep-layer soil desiccation (DSD) can restrict the sustainability of deep-rooted plantations in water-limited areas. Thus, we explored the extreme effects of DSD based on mass data published and measured on the Loess Plateau and found that the permanent wilting point is a reliable indicator of the moisture limitation of DSD, regardless of tree species, with the corresponding maximum root water uptake depth varying among climatic zones. These dimensions increased the risk of planted trees' death.
Huaqing Liu, Xiaodong Gao, Changjian Li, Yaohui Cai, Xiaolin Song, and Xining Zhao
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-719, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-719, 2023
Preprint archived
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We conducted a systematic and quantitative study of the effects of plant mixtures on the water cycle. Our results confirmed that plant mixtures help facilitate a positive water cycle through mitigating inefficient water consumption. The positive conclusions we reached, as well as the analyses of the influencing factors, mechanisms, and limitations, are helpful for promoting further in-depth research and encouraging the establishment of more plant mixture systems.
Shaofei Wang, Xiaodong Gao, Min Yang, Gaopeng Huo, Xiaolin Song, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Pute Wu, and Xining Zhao
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 123–137, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-123-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-123-2023, 2023
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Water uptake depth of 11-year-old apple trees reached 300 cm in the blossom and young fruit stage and only 100 cm in the fruit swelling stage, while 17-year-old trees always consumed water from 0–320 cm soil layers. Overall, the natural abundance of stable water isotopes method overestimated the contribution of deep soil water, especially in the 320–500 cm soils. Our findings highlight that determining the occurrence of root water uptake in deep soils helps to quantify trees' water use strategy.
Pute Wu, La Zhuo, Guoping Zhang, Mesfin M. Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Yoshihide Wada, Xuerui Gao, Xining Zhao, Yubao Wang, and Shikun Sun
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2018-436, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2018-436, 2018
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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This study estimates the concomitant economic benefits and values to the crop-related (physical and virtual) water flows at a basin level. The net benefit of blue water was 13–42 % lower than that of green water in the case for the Yellow River Basin. The basin got a net income through the virtual water exports. It is necessary to manage the internal trade-offs between the water consumption and economic returns, for maximizing both the water use efficiency and water economic productivities.
Xiaodong Gao, Xining Zhao, Luca Brocca, Gaopeng Huo, Ting Lv, and Pute Wu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-292, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-292, 2017
Preprint retracted
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Profile soil moisture is key state variable in the Critical Zone ecology and hydrology. This paper sucessfully used a simple statistical method, the cumulative distribution frequency (CDF) matching method for the first time, to predict profile soil moisture (0–100 cm) from surface measurement (5 cm). The findings here can provide insights into profile soil moisture estimation from remote sensing moisture products.
Xiaodong Gao, Xining Zhao, Luca Brocca, Ting Lv, Gaopeng Huo, and Pute Wu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-617, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-617, 2016
Preprint retracted
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We built observation operators by the CDF matching method. Two-year duration was identified as the optimal data length in prediction accuracy. Application in different climates in USA showed these operators are a robust statistical tool for upscaling soil moisture from surface to profile by using exponential filter as a reference method. The findings here may be applied in the prediction of profile soil moisture from surface measurements via remote sensing techniques.
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Solid Earth, 7, 177–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-177-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-177-2016, 2016
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F. K. Tang, M. Cui, Q. Lu, Y. G. Liu, H. Y. Guo, and J. X. Zhou
Solid Earth, 7, 141–151, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-141-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-141-2016, 2016
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S. Schlüter, F. Leuther, S. Vogler, and H.-J. Vogel
Solid Earth, 7, 129–140, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-129-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-129-2016, 2016
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A new protocol for digital volume correlation facilitates detailed insights into internal deformation of soil. Structure deformation during centrifugation is revealed by comparing X-ray CT images before and after centrifugation. Quantitative image analysis reveals that soil structure changes are driven by soil shrinkage due to drying and soil compaction due to compression.
J. Svajda, S. Korony, I. Brighton, S. Esser, and S. Ciapala
Solid Earth, 7, 115–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-115-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-115-2016, 2016
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N. Yazdanpanah
Solid Earth, 7, 105–114, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-105-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-105-2016, 2016
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Following the application of organic amendment treatments, the increased organic carbon and total porosity values, as compared to the control treatment, were greater in the loamy sand soil than in the clay loam soil. Moreover, compared to the microbial respiration of control plots, the application of municipal solid waste resulted in higher levels of microbial respiration from the clay loam soil than from the loamy sand soil, whereas the reverse was found for alfalfa residue.
B. G. J. S. Sonneveld, M. A. Keyzer, and D. Ndiaye
Solid Earth, 7, 93–103, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-93-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-93-2016, 2016
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We found a plausible relationship between crop yield and a land degradation index based on expert judgements and affected area share.
A pseudo-experiment was designed that for sites with otherwise similar circumstances compares the yield of a site with and one without land degradation.
Our overall conclusion is that yield reduction is associated with higher levels of land degradation, irrespective of whether fertilizer is being applied or not.
A. Cruz-Ruíz, E. Cruz-Ruíz, R. Vaca, P. Del Aguila, and J. Lugo
Solid Earth, 7, 1–9, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-1-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-1-2016, 2016
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The main aim was to assess agriculture soils differing in elapsed time since pumice mining in Mexico. The study sites in 0, 4, 10 and 15 year old reclaimed soils were compared with an adjacent undisturbed site. A general trend of recovery towards the undisturbed condition with reclamation age was found after disturbance. The multivariate analysis applied indicates that the most appropriate indicators to diagnose the quality of the soils were total N, urease and available phosphorus.
Z. Wang, D. A. Johnson, Y. Rong, and K. Wang
Solid Earth, 7, 55–65, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-55-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-55-2016, 2016
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Grazing increased diversity, but heavy grazing decreased aboveground biomass and increased the non-grass component. Overgrazing homogenized soil characteristics at a 10m scale. Therefore, moderate grazing was recommended as the preferred management alternative for grasslands in northern China because of increased plant diversity without negative consequences related to decreased forage quality forage quantity and soil heterogeneity in northern China's grasslands.
J. Y. Zhang, M. H. Dai, L. C. Wang, C. F. Zeng, and W. C. Su
Solid Earth, 7, 83–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-83-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-83-2016, 2016
H. Biswas, A. Raizada, D. Mandal, S. Kumar, S. Srinivas, and P. K. Mishra
Solid Earth, 6, 1247–1257, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1247-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1247-2015, 2015
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The paper presents a simple and novel approach to prioritize districts (or subregions) of a state (or region) for implementing soil conservation measures through computation of weighted soil erosion risk (WSER), by deducting soil loss tolerance limit values from soil erosion rates. WSER values obtained for the districts of Telangana state, India, led us to identify Adilabad, Warangal, and Khammam as the districts calling for the urgent attention of policymakers for natural resource conservation.
L. Lin, Y. K. Li, X. L. Xu, F. W. Zhang, Y. G. Du, S. L. Liu, X. W. Guo, and G. M. Cao
Solid Earth, 6, 1237–1246, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1237-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1237-2015, 2015
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We investigated environmental factors and plant functional groups to quantity and identify factors during alpine grassland succession processes. The degree of degradation of alpine meadows may be delineated by development of mattic epipedon and PFG composition. Because relatively few environmental factors are investigated, this approach can save time and labor to formulate a conservation management plan for degraded alpine meadows.
İ. Gümüş and C. Şeker
Solid Earth, 6, 1231–1236, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1231-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1231-2015, 2015
X. Lu, Y. Yan, J. Sun, X. Zhang, Y. Chen, X. Wang, and G. Cheng
Solid Earth, 6, 1195–1205, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1195-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1195-2015, 2015
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Grazing exclusion has been widely adopted to restore degraded grasslands in Tibet. We investigated soil properties and nutrients by comparing free-grazing and grazing exclusion grasslands. The results showed that grazing exclusion had no impact on most soil properties and nutrients, and even caused a considerable decrease in soil TN and TP in the soil surface layer. Nevertheless, climate conditions during the growing season played an important role in controlling the soil quality status.
Z. Gong, K. Kawamura, N. Ishikawa, M. Goto, T. Wulan, D. Alateng, T. Yin, and Y. Ito
Solid Earth, 6, 1185–1194, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1185-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1185-2015, 2015
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This study evaluated trends in vegetation cover and phenology dynamics in the Inner Mongolia grassland by applying a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series obtained by the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) during 2002–2014. The positive trends of the cumulative annual NDVI (77.10%) could be interpreted as an increase in plant productivity in the Inner Mongolia permanent grassland. And the growing season has lengthened by 10.86 days.
C. Y. Niu, A. Musa, and Y. Liu
Solid Earth, 6, 1157–1167, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1157-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1157-2015, 2015
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The higher soil moisture content among different land uses was exhibited by the grassland, and followed by cropland, poplar land, inter-dunes and shrub land. The temporal variations of soil moisture in different land uses were not always consistent with the rainfall due to the dry sequence. The infiltration depth exhibited a positive correlation with precipitation under all land uses. This study provided an insight into the implications for land and agricultural water management in this area.
K. Wasak and M. Drewnik
Solid Earth, 6, 1103–1115, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1103-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1103-2015, 2015
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The paper shows soil organic carbon sequestration (SOC) rates in calcareous shallow soils in reforested areas in the Tatra Mts., with a particular focus on the different forms of organic matter (OM) storage. Fifty years after the conversion of pastureland to grassland, the emergence of dwarf pine shrub, larch forest, the development of genetic soil horizons as well as SOC sequestration and the occurrence of OM forms in soil, are related to plant community.
D. Tsozué, J. P. Nghonda, and D. L. Mekem
Solid Earth, 6, 1087–1101, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1087-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1087-2015, 2015
P. Musinguzi, P. Ebanyat, J. S. Tenywa, T. A. Basamba, M. M. Tenywa, and D. Mubiru
Solid Earth, 6, 1063–1073, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1063-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1063-2015, 2015
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This study showed that resource-poor smallholder farmers can ably rate fields for soil fertility as poor or good but had difficulties in identifying medium-fertility fields. Rating with SOC improved precision to rate medium-fertility fields. SOC and clay content explained the highest yield variances in heterogeneous smallholder farms. A combination of SOC and farmers' field experiences can be affordable approaches to guide fertility management and fertilizer application.
A. Erol, Ö. Koşkan, and M. A. Başaran
Solid Earth, 6, 1025–1035, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1025-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1025-2015, 2015
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In addition to physical factors, socioeconomic factors have crucial effects on soil erosion, although the joint study of physical and socioeconomic factors has been limited to date. To address this, the present study aimed to determine the effect of socioeconomic factors on soil loss and, in turn, to modify the universal soil loss equation (USLE).
J. Wang, A. Ge, Y. Hu, C. Li, and L. Wang
Solid Earth, 6, 997–1006, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-997-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-997-2015, 2015
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A fuzzy intelligent system based on a fuzzy decision tree was established for land potential evaluation. We proposed one new model for feature selection based on the fuzzy measure using the L1-norm method, which can help to construct an index system for intelligent evaluation. The data comes from the “Three Old” project of Shunde, China. It is huge and heterogeneous and is therefore used first for research. The fuzzy intelligent system shows good performance for land potential evaluation.
Q. Dai, Z. Liu, H. Shao, and Z. Yang
Solid Earth, 6, 985–995, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-985-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-985-2015, 2015
M. Yazdani, S. M. Monavari, G. A. Omrani, M. Shariat, and S. M. Hosseini
Solid Earth, 6, 945–956, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-945-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-945-2015, 2015
C. Cassinari, P. Manfredi, L. Giupponi, M. Trevisan, and C. Piccini
Solid Earth, 6, 929–943, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-929-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-929-2015, 2015
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The amount of water available to plants in a closed landfill soil is analyzed by laboratory analyses, by using pedotransfer functions (PTFs) and by studying plant coverage. The laboratory analyses and PTFs highlighted the soil's inability to hold water. The closed landfill plant coverage consists of annual species (therophytes) typical of disturbed environments. The soil's low-water content, together with other degraded soil characters, justifies the plant coverage.
Y. Mohawesh, A. Taimeh, and F. Ziadat
Solid Earth, 6, 857–868, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-857-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-857-2015, 2015
R. E. Masto, S. Sheik, G. Nehru, V. A. Selvi, J. George, and L. C. Ram
Solid Earth, 6, 811–821, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-811-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-811-2015, 2015
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Impact of coal mining on soil was assessed through an integrated environmental soil quality index (ESQI). Biological activity was higher in underground mine (UGM) soil. As, Be, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb were higher in opencast mine (OCM) soil, whereas Cd was higher in UGM. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were higher in UGM soil. Calculated ESQI, based on total PAHs, loss on ignition, bulk density, Be, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, and microbial quotient, was higher for UGM (+10.1%) than OCM soils.
J. Ni, D. H. Luo, J. Xia, Z. H. Zhang, and G. Hu
Solid Earth, 6, 799–810, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-799-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-799-2015, 2015
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The root biomass study of karst (limestone and dolomite) vegetation in southwestern China and even in the word’s karst regions is rarely investigated. The mixed evergreen and deciduous broadleaved forest in karst terrain of SW China has higher root biomass, but very high ratio of root to aboveground biomass compared to non-karst subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests. Such findings have significant ecological meanings for vegetation restoration and carbon increment.
S. Vingiani, G. Mele, R. De Mascellis, F. Terribile, and A. Basile
Solid Earth, 6, 783–797, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-783-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-783-2015, 2015
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An integrated soil study was carried out on landslides which have occurred on the steep northern slopes of Mt. Vezzi on the island of Ischia (Italy). The studied soils showed a substantial abrupt discontinuity in all the studied properties along a buried fine ash layer (namely, the 2C horizon). Nevertheless, only the identification of a layer of thin, finely stratified ash on the top of 2C, by optical microscopy, enabled us to assume this interface to be an impeding layer for water fluxes.
T. Erkossa, A. Wudneh, B. Desalegn, and G. Taye
Solid Earth, 6, 765–774, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-765-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-765-2015, 2015
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The paper reviews global and regional literature related to soil erosion and crop productivity. It argues that the cost of not replacing the nutrient lost due to erosion is more meaningful in areas where farmers do not apply the recommended rate of fertilizers. Thus, it established a functional relationship between the nutrients and yield of major crops based on data from three watersheds in the Nile basin and estimated the annual financial loss based on the local market price of the crops.
B. Turgut
Solid Earth, 6, 719–725, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-719-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-719-2015, 2015
K. E. Seutloali and H. R. Beckedahl
Solid Earth, 6, 633–641, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-633-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-633-2015, 2015
M. Wiesmeier, M. Lungu, R. Hübner, and V. Cerbari
Solid Earth, 6, 609–620, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-609-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-609-2015, 2015
Y. Yu, W. Wei, L. D. Chen, F. Y. Jia, L. Yang, H. D. Zhang, and T. J. Feng
Solid Earth, 6, 595–608, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-595-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-595-2015, 2015
E. L. Poelking, C. E. R. Schaefer, E. I. Fernandes Filho, A. M. de Andrade, and A. A. Spielmann
Solid Earth, 6, 583–594, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-583-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-583-2015, 2015
L. W. Xie, J. Zhong, F. F. Chen, F. X. Cao, J. J. Li, and L. C. Wu
Solid Earth, 6, 515–524, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-515-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-515-2015, 2015
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Short summary
We integrated fish-scale pits with mulching to test whether this integration could improve soil water conservation. The results showed that integrating fish-scale pits with mulching could conserve significantly more soil water by increasing infiltration and decreasing evaporation, and showed greater soil water storage and degree of soil water compensation compared to fish-scale pits alone. In addition, jujube branches exerted better mulching effects than maize straw.
We integrated fish-scale pits with mulching to test whether this integration could improve soil...
