Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T21:40:29.022Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Factors influencing soil moisture in the Loess Plateau, China: a review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2018

Wenwu ZHAO*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Email: zhaoww@bnu.edu.cn Institute of Land Surface System and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Xuening FANG
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Email: zhaoww@bnu.edu.cn Institute of Land Surface System and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Stefani DARYANTO
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.
Xiao ZHANG
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Email: zhaoww@bnu.edu.cn Institute of Land Surface System and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Yaping WANG*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Email: zhaoww@bnu.edu.cn Institute of Land Surface System and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
*
*Corresponding authors

Abstract

Soil moisture is a key issue for eco-hydrological research in arid and semi-arid regions, and is primarily concerned with water availability for vegetation. Shallow and deep soil moisture occurs according to the maximum infiltration depth. Soil moisture has three-dimensional characteristics: inter-layer variability, horizontal heterogeneity and temporal variability. Soil moisture is affected by various factors including terrain, soil characteristics, climate and vegetation, and the effects of these change with time (e.g., rainfall patterns) and space (e.g., soil depth). In arid and semi-arid regions, deep soil moisture is of particular importance to vegetation restoration and the evaluation of vegetation sustainability; however, accurate prediction of the spatial distribution of deep soil moisture in the Loess Plateau of China still faces numerous challenges. Therefore, future research should focus on the mechanisms, models and scale effects of soil moisture, particularly for deep soil moisture.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Society of Edinburgh 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

7. References

Baroni, G., Ortuani, B., Facchi, A. & Gandolfi, C. 2013. The role of vegetation and soil properties on the spatio-temporal variability of the surface soil moisture in a maize-cropped field. Journal of Hydrology 489, 148159.Google Scholar
Bi, H., Li, X., Liu, X., Guo, M. & Li, J. 2009. A case study of spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture in the Loess Plateau, western China: a geostatistical approach. International Journal of Sediment Research 24, 6373.Google Scholar
Brocca, L., Morbidelli, R., Melone, F. & Moramarco, T. 2007. Soil moisture spatial variability in experimental areas of central Italy. Journal of Hydrology 333, 356373.Google Scholar
Cantón, Y., Solé-Benet, A. & Domingo, F. 2004. Temporal and spatial patterns of soil moisture in semiarid badlands of SE Spain. Journal of Hydrology 285, 199214.Google Scholar
Chen, H., Shao, M. & Li, Y. 2008a. Soil desiccation in the Loess Plateau of China. Geoderma 143, 91100.Google Scholar
Chen, H., Shao, M. & Li, Y. 2008b. The characteristics of soil water cycle and water balance on steep grassland under natural and simulated rainfall conditions in the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Hydrology 360, 242251.Google Scholar
Chen, L., Wei, W., Fu, B. & , Y. 2007. Soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau in China: review and perspective. Progress in Physical Geography 31, 389403.Google Scholar
Chen, X. & Hu, Q. 2004. Groundwater influences on soil moisture and surface evaporation. Journal of Hydrology 297, 285300.Google Scholar
Choi, M., Jacobs, J. M. & Cosh, M. H. 2007. Scaled spatial variability of soil moisture fields. Geophysical Research Letters 34, L01401.Google Scholar
Domec, J. C., King, J. S., Noormets, A., Treasure, E., Gavazzi, M. J., Sun, G. & McNulty, S. G. 2010. Hydraulic redistribution of soil water by roots affects whole-stand evapotranspiration and net ecosystem carbon exchange. New Phytologist 187, 171183.Google Scholar
Entin, J. K., Robock, A., Vinnikov, K. Y., Hollinger, S. E., Liu, S. & Namkhai, A. 2000. Temporal and spatial scales of observed soil moisture variations in the extratropics. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012) 105, 1186511877.Google Scholar
Famiglietti, J. S., Rudnicki, J. W. & Rodell, M. 1998. Variability in surface moisture content along a hillslope transect: Rattlesnake Hill, Texas. Journal of Hydrology 210, 259281.Google Scholar
Fang, X., Zhao, W., Wang, L., Feng, Q., Ding, J., Liu, Y. & Zhang, X. 2016. Variations of deep soil moisture under different vegetation types and influencing factors in a watershed of the Loess Plateau, China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 20, 33093323.Google Scholar
Feng, D., Zongsuo, L., Xuexuan, X., Lun, S. & Xingchang, Z. 2007. Community biomass of abandoned farmland and its effects on soil nutrition in the Loess hilly region of Northern Shaanxi, China. Acta Ecologica Sinica 27, 16731683.Google Scholar
Ferreira, J. N., Bustamante, M., Garcia-Montiel, D. C., Caylor, K. K. & Davidson, E. A. 2007. Spatial variation in vegetation structure coupled to plant available water determined by two-dimensional soil resistivity profiling in a Brazilian savanna. Oecologia 153, 417–30.Google Scholar
Ford, T. W. & Quiring, S. M. 2014. Comparison and application of multiple methods for temporal interpolation of daily soil moisture. International Journal of Climatology 34, 26042621.Google Scholar
Fu, B., Wang, J., Chen, L. & Qiu, Y. 2003. The effects of land use on soil moisture variation in the Danangou catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena 54, 197213.Google Scholar
Gao, X., Wu, P., Zhao, X., Zhang, B., Wang, J. & Shi, Y. 2013. Estimating the spatial means and variability of root-zone soil moisture in gullies using measurements from nearby uplands. Journal of Hydrology 476, 2841.Google Scholar
Gómez-Plaza, A., Alvarez-Rogel, J., Albaladejo, J. & Castillo, V. 2000. Spatial patterns and temporal stability of soil moisture across a range of scales in a semi-arid environment. Hydrological Processes 14, 12611277.Google Scholar
Gómez-Plaza, A., Martınez-Mena, M., Albaladejo, J. & Castillo, V. 2001. Factors regulating spatial distribution of soil water content in small semiarid catchments. Journal of Hydrology 253, 211226.Google Scholar
Han, F., Zheng, J. & Zhang, X. 2009. Plant root system distribution and its effect on soil nutrient on slope land converted from farmland in the Loess Plateau. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering 25, 5055.Google Scholar
Hébrard, O., Voltz, M., Andrieux, P. & Moussa, R. 2006. Spatio-temporal distribution of soil surface moisture in a heterogeneously farmed Mediterranean catchment. Journal of Hydrology 329, 110121.Google Scholar
Jacobs, J. M., Mohanty, B. P., Hsu, E.-C. & Miller, D. 2004. SMEX02: field scale variability, time stability and similarity of soil moisture. Remote Sensing of Environment 92, 436446.Google Scholar
Jia, Y. H., Shao, M. A. & Jia, X. X. 2013. Spatial pattern of soil moisture and its temporal stability within profiles on a loessial slope in northwestern China. Journal of Hydrology 495, 150161.Google Scholar
Jia, Y. H. & Shao, M. A. 2014. Dynamics of deep soil moisture in response to vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Hydrology 519, 523531.Google Scholar
Kim, G. & Barros, A. P. 2002. Downscaling of remotely sensed soil moisture with a modified fractal interpolation method using contraction mapping and ancillary data. Remote Sensing of Environment 83, 400413.Google Scholar
Kim, S., Lee, H., Woo, N. C. & Kim, J. 2007. Soil moisture monitoring on a steep hillside. Hydrological Processes 21, 29102922.Google Scholar
Kolassa, J., Gentine, P., Prigent, C. & Aires, F. 2016. Soil moisture retrieval from AMSR-E and ASCAT microwave observation synergy. Part 1: satellite data analysis. Remote Sensing of Environment 173, 114.Google Scholar
Kolassa, J., Gentine, P., Prigent, C., Aires, F. & Alemohammad, S. H. 2017. Soil moisture retrieval from AMSR-E and ASCAT microwave observation synergy. Part 2: product evaluation. Remote Sensing of Environment 195, 202217.Google Scholar
Kuilenburg, J. V., Gruijter, J. J. D., Marsman, B. A. & Bouma, J. 1982. Accuracy of spatial interpolation between point data on soil moisture supply capacity, compared with estimates from mapping units. Geoderma 27, 311325.Google Scholar
Kurc, S. A., Benton, L. M., Vivoni, E. R., Gochis, D. & Watts, C. 2010. Digital image-derived greenness links deep soil moisture to carbon uptake in a creosotebush-dominated shrubland. Journal of Arid Environments 74, 585594.Google Scholar
Ladson, A. & Moore, I. 1992. Soil water prediction on the Konza Prairie by microwave remote sensing and topographic attributes. Journal of Hydrology 138, 385407.Google Scholar
Legates, D. R., Mahmood, R., Levia, D. F., DeLiberty, T. L., Quiring, S. M., Houser, C. & Nelson, F. E. 2011. Soil moisture: a central and unifying theme in physical geography. Progress in Physical Geography 35, 6586.Google Scholar
Liu, Y., Zhao, W. Z., Wang, L., Zhang, X., Daryanto, S. & Fang, X. 2016. Spatial variations of soil moisture under Caragana korshinskii Kom. From different precipitation zones: field based analysis in the Loess Plateau, China. Forests 7, 31.Google Scholar
, Y. H., Zhang, L. W., Feng, X. M., Zeng, Y., Fu, B. J., Yao, X. L., Li, J. R. & Wu, B. F. 2015a. Recent ecological transitions in China: greening, browning, and influential factors. Scientific Reports 5, 8732.Google Scholar
, Y. H., Fu, B. J. & Lin, L. 2015b. Land degradation research: the need for a broader focus. Environmental Science & Technology 49, 689690.Google Scholar
Martínez-Fernández, J. & Ceballos, A. 2003. Temporal stability of soil moisture in a large-field experiment in Spain. Soil Science Society of America Journal 67, 16471656.Google Scholar
Martínez García, G., Pachepsky, Y. A. & Vereecken, H. 2014. Effect of soil hydraulic properties on the relationship between the spatial mean and variability of soil moisture. Journal of Hydrology 516, 154160.Google Scholar
Montenegro, S. & Ragab, R. 2012. Impact of possible climate and land use changes in the semi-arid regions: a case study from North Eastern Brazil. Journal of Hydrology 434, 5568.Google Scholar
Mu, X., Xu, X., Wang, W., Wen, Z. & Du, F. 2003. Impact of artificial forest on soil moisture of the deep soil layer on Loess Plateau. Acta Pedologica Sinica 40, 210217.Google Scholar
Ojha, R., Morbidelli, R., Saltalippi, C., Flammini, A. & Govindaraju, R. S. 2014. Scaling of surface soil moisture over heterogeneous fields subjected to a single rainfall event. Journal of Hydrology 516, 2136.Google Scholar
Perry, M. A. & Niemann, J. D. 2008. Generation of soil moisture patterns at the catchment scale by EOF interpolation. Hydrology & Earth System Sciences 12, 3953.Google Scholar
Prieto, I. & Ryel, R. J. 2014. Internal hydraulic redistribution prevents the loss of root conductivity during drought. Tree Physiology 34, 3948.Google Scholar
Pu, J., Yao, X., Deng, Z., Zhang, C., Zhang, M. & Wang, W. 2007. Impact of climatic change on soil water content in Loess Plateau, Gansu. Chinese Journal of Soil Science 37, 10861090.Google Scholar
Qin, D., Ding, Y., Wang, S., Wang, S., Dong, G., Lin, E., Liu, C., She, Z., Sun, H., Wang, S. & Wu, G. 2002. Ecological and environmental change in West China and its response strategy. Advances in Earth Science 17, 314319.Google Scholar
Qin, D. & Stocker, T. 2014. Highlights of the IPCC working group I fifth assessment report. Progress Inquisitiones DE Mutatione Climates 10, 1–6 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Qiu, Y., Fu, B., Wang, J. & Chen, L. 2001a. Soil moisture variation in relation to topography and land use in a hillslope catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Hydrology 240, 243263.Google Scholar
Qiu, Y., Fu, B., Wang, J. & Chen, L. 2001b. Spatial variability of soil moisture content and its relation to environmental indices in a semi-arid gully catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Arid Environments 49, 723750.Google Scholar
Qiu, Y., Fu, B., Wang, J. & Chen, L. 2003. Spatiotemporal prediction of soil moisture content using multiple-linear regression in a small catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena 54, 173195.Google Scholar
Qiu, Y., Fu, B., Wang, J., Zhang, X. & Meng, Q. 2007. Spatiotemporal variation of soil moisture and its relation to environmental factors. Chinese Journal of Ecology 26, 100107.Google Scholar
Qiu, Y., Fu, B., Wang, J., Chen, L., Meng, Q. & Zhang, Y. 2010. Spatial prediction of soil moisture content using multiple-linear regressions in a gully catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Arid Environments 74, 208220.Google Scholar
Robinson, D., Campbell, C., Hopmans, J., Hornbuckle, B., Jones, S. B., Knight, R., Ogden, F., Selker, J. & Wendroth, O. 2008. Soil moisture measurement for ecological and hydrological watershed-scale observatories: a review. Vadose Zone Journal 7, 358389.Google Scholar
Savva, Y., Szlavecz, K., Carlson, D., Gupchup, J., Szalay, A. & Terzis, A. 2013. Spatial patterns of soil moisture under forest and grass land cover in a suburban area, in Maryland, USA. Geoderma 192, 202210.Google Scholar
Song, Z., Guo, J., Zhang, Z., Kou, T., Deng, A., Zheng, C., Ren, J. & Zhang, W. 2013. Impacts of planting systems on soil moisture, soil temperature and corn yield in rainfed area of Northeast China. European Journal of Agronomy 50, 6674.Google Scholar
Starks, P. J., Heathman, G. C., Jackson, T. J. & Cosh, M. H. 2006. Temporal stability of soil moisture profile. Journal of Hydrology 324, 400411.Google Scholar
Su, S. L., Singh, D. & Shojaei Baghini, M. 2014. A critical review of soil moisture measurement. Measurement 54, 92105.Google Scholar
Tramblay, Y., Bouvier, C., Martin, C., Didon-Lescot, J.-F., Todorovik, D. & Domergue, J. M. 2010. Assessment of initial soil moisture conditions for event-based rainfall–runoff modelling. Journal of Hydrology 387, 176187.Google Scholar
Vachaud, G., Passerat de Silans, A., Balabanis, P. & Vauclin, M. 1985. Temporal stability of spatially measured soil water probability density function. Soil Science Society of America Journal 49, 822828.Google Scholar
Venkatesh, B., Lakshman, N., Purandara, B. & Reddy, V. 2011. Analysis of observed soil moisture patterns under different land covers in Western Ghats, India. Journal of Hydrology 397, 281294.Google Scholar
Vereecken, H., Huisman, J., Bogena, H., Vanderborght, J., Vrugt, J. & Hopmans, J. 2008. On the value of soil moisture measurements in vadose zone hydrology: A review. Water Resources Research 44, W00D06.Google Scholar
Vivoni, E. R., Rinehart, A. J., Méndez-Barroso, L. A., Aragón, C. A., Bisht, G., Cardenas, M. B., Engle, E., Forman, B. A., Frisbee, M. D. & Gutiérrez-Jurado, H. A. 2008. Vegetation controls on soil moisture distribution in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico, during the North American monsoon. Ecohydrology: Ecosystems, Land and Water Process Interactions, Ecohydrogeomorphology 1, 225238.Google Scholar
Wang, S., Fu, B., Gao, G., Liu, Y. & Zhou, J. 2013a. Responses of soil moisture in different land cover types to rainfall events in a re-vegetation catchment area of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena 101, 122128.Google Scholar
Wang, X., Muhammad, T., Hao, M. & Li, J. 2011a. Sustainable recovery of soil desiccation in semi-humid region on the Loess Plateau. Agricultural Water Management 98, 12621270.Google Scholar
Wang, X. Y., Zhang, W. J., Wang, Z. Q., Liu, X. P. & Wang, S. F. 2014. Soil moisture status under deep-rooted and shallow-rooted vegetation in the semiarid area of Loess Plateau in China. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 23, 511520.Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Shao, M. & Zhang, X. 2008. Soil moisture ecological environment of artificial vegetation on steep slope of loess region in North Shaanxi Province, China. Acta Ecologica Sinica 28, 37693778.Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Shao, M. & Shao, H. 2010. A preliminary investigation of the dynamic characteristics of dried soil layers on the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Hydrology 381, 917.Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Shao, M., Zhu, Y. & Liu, Z. 2011b. Impacts of land use and plant characteristics on dried soil layers in different climatic regions on the Loess Plateau of China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 151, 437448.Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Shao, M., Liu, Z. & Warrington, D. N. 2012. Regional spatial pattern of deep soil water content and its influencing factors. Hydrological Sciences Journal 57, 265281.Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Shao, M. & Liu, Z. 2013b. Vertical distribution and influencing factors of soil water content within 21-m profile on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Geoderma 193, 300310.Google Scholar
Western, A. W., Zhou, S., Grayson, R. B., McMahon, T. A., Blöschl, G. & Wilson, D. J. 2004. Spatial correlation of soil moisture in small catchments and its relationship to dominant spatial hydrological processes. Journal of Hydrology 286, 113134.Google Scholar
Wu, Z., Lu, G., Wen, L., Lin, C., Zhang, J. & Yang, Y. 2007. Thirty-five year (1971–2005) simulation of daily soil moisture using the variable infiltration capacity model over China. Atmosphere-Ocean 45, 3745.Google Scholar
Yang, L., Wei, W., Chen, L. & Mo, B. 2012a. Response of deep soil moisture to land use and afforestation in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Hydrology 475, 111122.Google Scholar
Yang, L., Wei, W., Chen, L., Jia, F. & Mo, B. 2012b. Spatial variations of shallow and deep soil moisture in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 16, 31993217.Google Scholar
Yang, L., Chen, L., Wei, W., Yu, Y. & Zhang, H. 2014a. Comparison of deep soil moisture in two re-vegetation watersheds in semi-arid regions. Journal of Hydrology 513, 314321.Google Scholar
Yang, L., Wei, W., Chen, L., Chen, W. & Wang, J. 2014b. Response of temporal variation of soil moisture to vegetation restoration in semi-arid Loess Plateau, China. Catena 115, 123133.Google Scholar
Yao, X., Fu, B., , Y., Chang, R., Wang, S., Wang, Y. & Su, C. 2012. The multi-scale spatial variance of soil moisture in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Soils and Sediments 12, 694703.Google Scholar
Yao, X., Fu, B., Yihe, L., Sun, F., Wang, S. & Liu, M. 2013. Comparison of four spatial interpolation methods for estimating soil moisture in a complex terrain catchment. PLoS ONE 8, e54660.Google Scholar
Yao, Y., Wang, Y., Li, Y. & Zhang, X. 2005. Climate warming and drying and its environmental effects in the Loess Plateau. Resources Science 27, 146152.Google Scholar
Yin, Z., Shao, X., Qin, N. & Liang, E. 2008. Reconstruction of a 1436-year soil moisture and vegetation water use history based on tree-ring widths from Qilian junipers in northeastern Qaidam Basin, northwestern China. International Journal of Climatology 28, 3753.Google Scholar
Yuan, C., Gao, G. Y. & Fu, B. J. 2016. Stemflow of a xerophytic shrub (Salix psammophila) in northern China: implication for beneficial branch architecture to produce stemflow. Journal of Hydrology 539, 577588.Google Scholar
Yuan, S. & Quiring, S. M. 2017. Comparison of three methods of interpolating soil moisture in Oklahoma. International Journal of Climatology 37, 987997.Google Scholar
Zehe, E., Gräff, T., Morgner, M., Bauer, A. & Bronstert, A. 2010. Plot and field scale soil moisture dynamics and subsurface wetness control on runoff generation in a headwater in the Ore Mountains. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 14, 873889.Google Scholar
Zhang, X., Zhao, J., Sun, Q., Wang, X., Guo, Y. & Li, J. 2011. Soil moisture retrieval from AMSR-E data in Xinjiang (China): models and validation. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations & Remote Sensing 4, 117127.Google Scholar
Zhang, X., Zhao, W., Liu, Y., Fang, X. & Feng, Q. 2016. The relationships between grasslands and soil moisture on the Loess Plateau of China: A review. Catena 145, 5667.Google Scholar
Zhang, X., Zhao, W., Liu, Y., Fang, X., Feng, Q. & Chen, Z. 2017. Spatial variations and impact factors of soil water content in typical natural and artificial grasslands: a case study in the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Soils and Sediments 17, 157171.Google Scholar
Zhang, Y. W. & Shangguan, Z. P. 2016. The coupling interaction of soil water and organic carbon storage in the long vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau. Ecological Engineering 91, 574581.Google Scholar
Zhao, W. W., Fu, B. J. & Chen, L. D. 2012. A comparison of the Soil Loss Evaluation index and the C-factor of RUSLE: a case study in the Loess Plateau of China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 16, 27392748.Google Scholar
Zhao, W. W. & Wang, Y. P. 2016. A bibliometric analysis of landscape ecology in China mainland between 1981 and 2015. Acta Ecologica Sinica 36, 78867896 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Zheng, J. Y., Wang, L. M., Shao, M. A., Wang, Q. J. & Li, S. Q. 2006. Gully impact on soil moisture in the gully bank. Pedosphere 16, 339344.Google Scholar
Zhu, H., Shi, Z., Fang, N., Wu, G., Guo, Z. & Zhang, Y. 2014a. Soil moisture response to environmental factors following precipitation events in a small catchment. Catena 120, 7380.Google Scholar
Zhu, Q., Nie, X., Zhou, X., Liao, K. & Li, H. 2014b. Soil moisture response to rainfall at different topographic positions along a mixed land-use hillslope. Catena 119, 6170.Google Scholar
Zhu, Q. & Lin, H. 2011. Influences of soil, terrain, and crop growth on soil moisture variation from transect to farm scales. Geoderma 163, 4554.Google Scholar
Zreda, M., Desilets, D., Ferré, T. & Scott, R. L. 2008. Measuring soil moisture content non-invasively at intermediate spatial scale using cosmic-ray neutrons. Geophysical Research Letters 35, L21402.Google Scholar