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{"title":"Divergent effects of cropland management practices and global change factors on microbial necromass across ecosystems: implications for soil organic carbon","authors":"Chen-Hao Lyu ,&nbsp;Wen-Jun He ,&nbsp;Peng Chen ,&nbsp;Xin-Xin Jing ,&nbsp;Guo-Shi Zhang ,&nbsp;Run-Qin Zhang ,&nbsp;Zi-Yan Li ,&nbsp;Zhi-Guo Li ,&nbsp;Yi Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109273","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is a crucial contributor to Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), yet its responses to cropland management practices and global changes remain poorly understood. Here, a global <em>meta</em>-analysis was conducted to reveal general patterns of how MNC respond to these factors across major terrestrial ecosystems. Results showed that cropland management practices increased MNC by 6.5–29.4 %, with manure amendment having the largest effect (+29.4 %), followed by fertilization (+16.2 %), straw application (+13.1 %), no-tillage/reduced-tillage (NT/RT, +11.3 %), biochar amendment (+8.8 %), and cover crops (+6.5 %). In grasslands, warming increased MNC by 9.5 %, phosphorus (P) addition had negative effects on MNC, and nitrogen (N) addition had no effect. In forestlands, P addition increased MNC the most (+41.6 %), followed by NP (+33.4 %) and N addition (+11.3 %). Importantly, responses of MNC to management practices and global changes were influenced by climatic and edaphic factors. For example, fertilization and straw application increased necromass in humid and warm climates, while NT/RT and manure amendments were more effective in cooler climates or acidic soils. Fertilization, straw, and manure amendments led to greater MNC accumulation in soils with lower initial SOC levels. N addition had a more pronounced effect on necromass in humid forests, whereas P addition was more impactful in cooler climates. Furthermore, MNC was closely linked to SOC, highlighting the important role of microbial necromass in SOC sequestration. This study fills a key knowledge gap by synthesizing global evidence on how MNC responds to cropland management practices and global change factors, offering novel insights into optimizing land management strategies for soil carbon stabilization in future climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109273"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contrasting impacts of grassland restoration methods on soil greenhouse gases emissions under warming conditions in Northern Tibet","authors":"Hao Shi ,&nbsp;Fei Xia ,&nbsp;Lin-ling Ran ,&nbsp;Hao-yang Wu ,&nbsp;Jun-qiang Wang ,&nbsp;Yun-yin Xue ,&nbsp;Wei Wei ,&nbsp;Shai-kun Zheng ,&nbsp;Shuang Yan ,&nbsp;Cai-hong Yang ,&nbsp;Yu Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiao-qin Qiu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109287","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109287","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of climate warming, grassland restoration on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) may have a significant impact on greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. However, the response of GHGs emissions, global warming potential (GWP) and temperature sensitivity coefficient (<em>Q₁₀</em>) from different restored grasslands on QTP to warming remains unclear. We adopted three restoration methods: natural-restoration (NR), no-till-replanting (S), and till-replanting (TS), using natural-degradation grassland (ND) as a control and an open top chamber (OTC) as a simulated warming (Ws) device to clarify the response mechanism of GHGs emissions to warming, and then we evaluated the GWP and <em>Q₁₀</em> of restored grasslands on the QTP. Under Wns conditions, S resulted in the lowest GHGs emissions (by 66.22 %) and the lowest GWP related to ND. Under Ws conditions, TS suppressed the emissions of CO₂ (by 23.43 %) and CH₄ (by 46.34 %), maintaining the lowest N₂O increment and significantly reducing GWP compared to Wns (by 23.73 %). Under the Wns and Ws conditions, the contribution rate of CO₂ to GWP exceeded 93 % in all treatments, and Ws led to a decrease in the <em>Q₁₀</em> of GHGs. Structural equation model analysis showed that Ws and grassland restoration directly affected ROC, DOC, MBC and above-ground biomass (AGB), which in turn affected GWP. In summary, S effectively reduced GWP under Wns conditions, and GWP of TS was effectively alleviated under Ws conditions. Labile organic carbon and AGB are the preferred triggering factor for GWP under the conditions of Ws and grassland restoration. Our study offers a theoretical foundation and technical framework for advancing our comprehension of degraded grassland restoration and its implications for greenhouse gas dynamics on the QTP under climate warming scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109287"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Redistribution of SOC driven by erosion and deposition in cultivated black soils of Northeast China","authors":"Yun Xie ,&nbsp;Jie Tang ,&nbsp;Ruofan Li ,&nbsp;Peiyan Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil erosion causes the thinning of topsoil and redistribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) in Northeast China, thereby affecting the carbon cycling process. Understanding how soil erosion and deposition redistribute SOC on cultivated slopes is essential for comprehending the impact of soil erosion on carbon cycling. In this study, we collected samples of ¹³⁷Cs and soil profiles on a cultivated slope with 1300 m slope length. This was combined with runoff plots observation data to analyze the patterns of erosion and deposition on long-gentle slopes and their effects on the redistribution of SOC. The results showed that the soil erosion rate on the slope under up and down ridge tillage was 16.9 t·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹, with an average value at the top of the slope being 1.4 times that of the middle. The bottom of the slope was primarily characterized by deposition, and the period length of soil erosion and deposition changes on the slope was 245.7 m. The average SOC on the whole slope was 66.8 g·kg⁻¹, with the tilled layer (0–20 cm) having the highest organic carbon content, accounting for 58.2 % of the total organic carbon content. The average soil organic carbon content in the deposition zone was 49.0 g·kg⁻¹, which was 1.3 times that of the erosion zone. Topography was the main factor influencing soil erosion rates in the black soil region. The relationship between slope gradient (θ) and soil erosion rate (SL, mm·yr⁻¹) was expressed as: SL = 0.962∙θ. The process of soil erosion led to the redistribution of SOC, and there was a significant negative correlation between the soil erosion rate and the SOC content in the tilled layer. This is because clay particles were the main carriers of soil organic carbon and were most sensitive to soil erosion rate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109268"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Updating legacy soil maps through digital delineation of homogeneous land units based on soil formation factors: Experiences from Portugal","authors":"Samuel Guerreiro ,&nbsp;Pedro Arsénio ,&nbsp;Vasco Florentino ,&nbsp;Manuel Madeira","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land use planning and the sustainable management of natural resources rely on updated and harmonised soil information systems. Meanwhile, in Portugal, soil mapping remains highly heterogeneous regarding scales, classification systems, and mapping methodologies. Accordingly, a fast and robust approach is needed to update soil maps at a same scale (1:100,000), while using an international classification system. For that, the delineation of Homogeneous Units (HU), based on relevant soil formation factors, is proposed to predict and frame soil units derived from the legacy soil map of Portugal (1:25,000). In the project area, digital tools were used to create and intersect three primary factor layers (climate, lithology, and relief) to generate the HU. The capacity of HU to differentiate WRB Reference Soil Groups (RSGs) was then assessed by calculating the proportion of soil units from the legacy soil maps within each HU. The study identified six climatic units, five relief classes, 23 lithological groupings, and 100 HU were obtained in two study areas. HU proved to be a simple and highly effective approach in differentiating RSGs, and some qualifiers, in their landscape. Lithology was a primary factor as mafic igneous rocks were mostly associated with Vertisols, intermediate with Luvisols, and felsic with Regosols. Relief contributed to distinguishing RSGs in schists. Both lithology and relief also explain the distribution of key qualifiers (e.g. Leptic, Stagnic, Skeletic, Calcic). The proposed methodology offers a powerful basis for updating and harmonising soil mapping in Mediterranean regions, enhancing soil data consistency, and supporting the integration of national soil mapping into international frameworks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109275"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecosystems and climate determine terrestrial microbial carbon use efficiency","authors":"Qingyin Zhang ,&nbsp;Ziyu Fan ,&nbsp;Zhaohuan Wang ,&nbsp;Qian Tian ,&nbsp;Fang Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) defined as the microbial partitioning of C used in metabolism versus substrate C uptake reflects the microbial-associated accumulation and loss of soil organic carbon (OC). Comprehensively elucidating the global pattern of soil microbial CUE and related environmental drivers is essential for understanding ecosystem C cycling and its responses to global change. We performed a <em>meta</em>-analysis using data from 132 publications containing 690 observations (143 farmlands, 358 forests, and 189 grasslands) throughout the world to investigate the soil microbial CUE and identified the major environmental drivers in three ecosystems. The global average microbial CUE was 0.41 across all ecosystems. The microbial CUE was highest in temperate soils with moderate precipitation and temperatures. The average microbial CUE was highest in farmland ecosystems (0.51) and lowest in forest ecosystems (0.37) (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01), thereby indicating the higher potential for microbial C sequestration by farmland soils. Except for the experimental conditions, the soil pH and total nitrogen were important for controlling the microbial CUE in farmland and grassland than forest. However, the microbial CUE had a weak positive correlation with the soil OC content. The microbial CUE values estimated by using ¹³C or ¹⁴C labelling, ¹⁸O labelling, and biogeochemical equilibrium modelling also differed significantly, with mean values of 0.58, 0.30, and 0.34, respectively. These different microbial CUE responses depending on the estimation approaches employed could have been due to differences in the measurement time and addition of substrates. Collectively, our results suggest that ecosystems and climate factors dominate global patterns of microbial CUE, so the optimization of key parameters should be prioritized when integrating microbial process parameters in Earth system models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109279"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plot size modulates the effects of vegetation on soil and water conservation at the slope scale on China’s Loess Plateau","authors":"Qin Zhang,&nbsp;Hang Xu,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Long-term vegetation restoration on China’s Loess Plateau has provided multiple ecological services and significantly improved environmental conditions. Many slope scale studies assess the role of vegetation in soil and water conservation but seldom account for plot size, leaving its effects on runoff and sediment yield uncertain. We compiled 533 runoff records from published literature covering nine experimental sites on the Loess Plateau and analyzed them to identify the key factors governing runoff and sediment yield at the slope scale using machine learning methods. Our results demonstrate significant differences in the effectiveness of soil and water conservation between vegetation types (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), with forests exhibiting a superior capacity to reduce runoff and sediment. Once vegetation coverage exceeds 60 %, further increases in vegetation cover no longer effectively control sediment yield in forested plots. We found that the area of forest plots has a more significant control effect on their sediment yield, while the sediment yield of grassland plots is more sensitive to changes in vegetation cover. When the plot area surpasses approximately 280 m², its influence on sediment yield and sediment concentration tends to stabilize, the contribution of plot area to runoff and sediment yield exhibited significant differences before and after reaching the threshold plot area (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Additionally, the aspect ratio also influences erosion measurements, with narrower plots enhancing runoff scouring and resulting in fluctuations in the observation results. Our findings underscore the critical importance of plot size when evaluating the role of vegetation in soil and water conservation. We recommend the adoption of standardized runoff plots for such studies, emphasizing that the influence of plot size should be explicitly considered when performing cross-plot comparisons.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109284"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Grass cover on karst slopes effectively reduces rill erosion due to concentrated flow","authors":"Xianmin Gan ,&nbsp;Youjin Yan ,&nbsp;Quanhou Dai ,&nbsp;Xiaojin Xu ,&nbsp;Xinyin Zhang ,&nbsp;Liangjie Wang ,&nbsp;Fengling Gan ,&nbsp;Chenyang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil degradation caused by concentrated flow-induced erosion poses a substantial threat to global land and water resource sustainability. Although grass cover can contribute to enhancing the structural stability of soil and mitigates erosion via root reinforcement and surface protection, the mechanisms whereby concentrated flows influence soil erosion in karst areas under grass cover have yet to be sufficiently determined. In this study, we conducted controlled scouring experiments using a flume system to simulate karst slopes with gradients of 5°, 15°, and 25° by comparing bare slopes with slopes vegetated with <em>Cynodon dactylon</em> (L.) Persoon. The results revealed that grass cover spatially redistributes runoff, thereby reducing surface runoff by 10 %–33 %, whilst increasing soil–rock interface runoff by 9 %–79 %. In addition, we found that soil loss under grass cover was 8 %–80 % of that on bare slopes, with the efficacy of erosion mitigation diminishing as the gradient of the slope increased. Furthermore, grass cover contributed to a significant alteration in rill morphology. Although bare slopes were characterized by shorter total rill lengths, their average rill width (1.56–9.31 cm) and depth exceeded those of grass-covered slopes (1.77–5.70 cm) at gradients of 15° and 25°. Under identical flow conditions, grass cover was found to promote increases in the rill width-to-depth ratio by 41.49 %–69.46 %, indicating a stronger suppression of down-cutting erosion. Collectively, these findings revealed that grass cover suppresses rill formation via the dual regulation of surface hydrology and sediment transport, primarily by dispersing concentrated flow energy and stabilizing the soil via root networks. Our findings in this study will contribute to advances in our mechanistic understanding of vegetation–erosion feedback in karst systems and provide insights for soil conservation in vulnerable ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109281"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The relationship between Holocene environmental evolution and human activities on the Chinese Loess Plateau inferred from an aeolian loess-paleosol profile in the Xitou Ruins","authors":"Mengting Li ,&nbsp;Yuzhu Zhang ,&nbsp;Yan Zhu ,&nbsp;Haifeng Dou ,&nbsp;Shuheng Li ,&nbsp;Xinwen Xu ,&nbsp;Jinpeng Zhou ,&nbsp;Yao Jin ,&nbsp;Pengpeng Cao ,&nbsp;Zikun Li ,&nbsp;Ziang Wang ,&nbsp;Jiahui Wang ,&nbsp;Shodmonov Anvar Akramovich ,&nbsp;Jibao Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aeolian loess-paleosol profiles are useful for studying the relationship between environmental evolution, cultural development, and human activities. An aeolian loess-paleosol profile was identified in the Xitou Ruins on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) during extensive field investigations. We analyzed the aeolian loess-paleosol profile using sedimentology, geochemistry, soil micromorphology, environmental archaeology, and chronology methods, and compared the results with previous research findings. The characteristics of thin loess bed (L_x) in the profile indicated a cold and dry climate event that corresponded to the 5.50 ka BP event (6.00–5.00 ka BP). The early Yangshao culture appeared in the Xitou Ruins during a warm and humid period from 8.50 to 6.00 ka BP but was succeeded by the late Yangshao culture during a cold and dry period from 6.00 to 5.00 ka BP. The Longshan culture in the ruins emerged during a relatively warm and humid period from 5.00 to 3.80 ka BP. Human activity had a minimal impact on the development and properties of the soil in the Xitou Ruins before ca. 3.80 ka BP. However, a depositional hiatus in the profile from ca. 3.80 to 0.63 ka BP indicates an intensification in human activities. The anomalies in several physicochemical indicators in the modern soil layer may be influenced by the population recovery during the Little Ice Age (LIA), and a combination of warm and humid climate condition and human activities during the Current Warm Period (CWP).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109271"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144570261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing recent and buried Chernozems/Phaeozems in Central Germany: Soil transformation and human impact since 3.8 ka","authors":"Hans von Suchodoletz ,&nbsp;Birgit Schneider ,&nbsp;Anna Skokan ,&nbsp;Teresa Nitz ,&nbsp;Bruno Glaser ,&nbsp;Steven Polivka ,&nbsp;Katja Wiedner ,&nbsp;Frank Schlütz ,&nbsp;Torsten Schunke ,&nbsp;Peter Kühn","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chernozems and Phaeozems in Central Germany have been subject to both natural alterations and human influences for millennia. This study systematically compares a buried Early Bronze Age Chernozem, preserved under the Bornhöck burial mound, with a neighboring surface soil to analyze soil transformation and human impact over the past 3.8 ka.</div><div>Our results indicate that, unlike in more humid Central European regions where former Chernozems/Phaeozems have been entirely transformed into Luvisols, soils in the study area have undergone slower alterations due to the dry regional climate and high carbonate content of the parent material. Key pedogenic processes include gradual decalcification, black carbon decomposition, and weak clay illuviation. Before and during the Early Bronze Age human impact was minimal, limited mainly to shallow plowing (&lt;20 cm) and phosphorus enrichment from human and/or animal excrements. Especially since the industrialisation human impact strongly increased, what is evident in higher values of magnetic susceptibility, the enrichment of heavy metals and sulfur likely due to fly ash deposition from lignite-burning power plants, and shifts in the isotopic composition of soil organic matter from agricultural practices. The most pronounced human impact since that time has been secondary recalcification due to fly ash input, which halted the natural transformation of Chernozems/Phaeozems into Luvisols and modified soil biota conditions. Given ongoing climate change and increasing regional temperatures, decalcification of these secondary carbonates should strongly decelerate or even stop.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109270"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144563099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Water and sediment yield in the source region of the Yellow River, northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Historical pattern, future evolution, and attribution analysis","authors":"Ruirui Xu ,&nbsp;Dexun Qiu ,&nbsp;Peng Gao ,&nbsp;Xingmin Mu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109280","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109280","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding water and sediment yield is essential for effective watershed management, ecological conservation, and socio-economic development, particularly in alpine regions like the Tibetan Plateau (TP), which are highly sensitive to climate change. However, quantifying past and projecting future spatial–temporal changes in water and sediment yield in these areas remains a significant challenge due to the limited availability of long-term observed data. Here, we comprehensively examined the historical patterns, future evolution, and driving factors of water and sediment yield in the source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) on the northeastern TP. The results indicate that from 1990 to 2020, the SRYR exhibited an increasing trend in water yield (10.31 mm per decade) and sediment yield (0.93 t ha⁻¹ per decade), with higher yield observed in the southern part compared to the north. Future projections suggest continued increases in water yield, especially under SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5 scenarios, while sediment yield is expected to decline across all scenarios. The decrease in water and sediment yield is most prominent in the northern and northwestern parts of the basin, while sediment yield increases in the central and western regions. Climatic factors have a stronger influence on the spatial variation of water and sediment yield than underlying surface factors. For water yield, climatic factors explained 39.4–85.3 % of the variability, with precipitation being the most significant factor. For sediment yield, climatic factors explained 22.2–56.3 % of the variation, with dominant factors changing over time—from potential evapotranspiration around 1990, to snow depth around 2000 and 2010, and to temperature around 2020. These findings emphasize the critical role of climate drivers in shaping hydrological and sediment dynamics, offering valuable insights for sustainable management of the TP and Yellow River.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 109280"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144562935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}