Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Soil Processes
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1425044
This article is part of the Research Topic Vegetation-soil-hydrology Interactions and Ecohydrological Processes View all 10 articles

Spatial patterns of soil erosion in a wind erosion region based on partial least squares regression and the revised wind erosion equation

Provisionally accepted
Xudong Huang Xudong Huang 1*Yue-Jia Li Yue-Jia Li 1Peipei Han Peipei Han 2Ran Zheng Ran Zheng 2Hua-Jie Yan Hua-Jie Yan 1Panpan Zhao Panpan Zhao 1Xiao-Li Zhang Xiao-Li Zhang 1Li-Li Feng Li-Li Feng 1Dong Wang Dong Wang 3Feng-Juan Zeng Feng-Juan Zeng 4
  • 1 College of Water Resources, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
  • 2 Henan Yellow River Hydrological Survey and Design Institute, Zhengzhou, China
  • 3 Laboratory of Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan Province, China
  • 4 China Construction Seventh Engineering Division Corp., Ltd, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Understanding the complex influencing factors of soil erosion is critical for maintaining regional ecological security. The revised wind erosion equation (RWEQ) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) model were used to reveal the primary factors affecting soil erosion. The results indicate that the proportion of mining land, meteorological indicators, and mean square deviation of slope difference were positively correlated with the soil erosion area, intensity and severity. The proportion of grassland and forest land was negatively correlated with the soil erosion area, intensity and severity. The mean square deviation of slope difference, mean square deviation of difference in elevation, and proportion of urban land use contributed the most to the soil erosion severity index, with variable importance in projection (VIP) scores of 1.45, 1.35, and 1.3, respectively. The mean square deviation of slope difference, proportion of urban land, and mean square deviation of difference in elevation contributed the most to the soil erosion area, with VIP scores of 1.4, 1.13, and 1.12, respectively. Based on the results of the RWEQ model, the wind erosion area was 8439.3 km 2 in 2018, accounting for 54.3% of the total area of the planning area, and mild erosion, moderate erosion, intense erosion, very intense erosion, fierce erosion accounted for 18.22%, 11.43%, 11.78%, 10.16%, and 2.74% of the total wind erosion area, respectively. The results provide new insights into wind erosion and the influences of weather conditions and human influences which can guide regional soil and water conservation planning in wind erosion regions.

    Keywords: Soil erosion, Wind erosion, vegetation, partial least squares regression, Ecological protection

    Received: 29 Apr 2024; Accepted: 25 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Huang, Li, Han, Zheng, Yan, Zhao, Zhang, Feng, Wang and Zeng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xudong Huang, College of Water Resources, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.