Changes in wind erosion climatic erosivity in northern China from 1981-2016: a comparison of two climate/weather factors of wind erosion models

Abstract

Wind erosion is largely determined by wind erosion climatic erosivity. In this study, we examined changes in wind erosion climatic erosivity during 4 seasons across northern China from 1981-2016 using 2 models: the wind erosion climatic erosivity of the Wind Erosion Equation (WEQ) model and the weather factor from the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) model. Results showed that wind erosion climatic erosivity derived from the 2 models was highest in spring and lowest in winter with high values over the Kumtag Desert, the Qaidam Basin, the boundary between Mongolia and China, and the Hulunbuir Sandy Land. In spring and summer, wind erosion climatic erosivity showed decreasing trends in whole of northern China from 1981-2016, whereas there was an increasing trend in wind erosion climatic erosivity over the Gobi Desert from 1992-2011. For the weather factor of the RWEQ model, the difference between northern Northwest China and the Gobi Desert and eastern-northern China was much larger than that of the wind erosion climatic erosivity of the WEQ model. In addition, in contrast to a decreasing trend in the weather factor of the RWEQ model over southern Northwest China during spring and summer from 1981-2016, the wind erosion climatic erosivity of the WEQ model showed a decreasing trend for 1981-1992 and an increasing trend for 1992-2011 over southern Northwest China. According to a comparison between dust emission and wind erosion climatic erosivity, the 2 models have the ability to project changes in future wind erosion in northern China.