Articles | Volume 13, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4735-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4735-2016
Research article
 | 
23 Aug 2016
Research article |  | 23 Aug 2016

Moderate topsoil erosion rates constrain the magnitude of the erosion-induced carbon sink and agricultural productivity losses on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Jianlin Zhao, Kristof Van Oost, Longqian Chen, and Gerard Govers

Viewed

Total article views: 3,082 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total Supplement BibTeX EndNote
1,595 1,369 118 3,082 313 101 96
  • HTML: 1,595
  • PDF: 1,369
  • XML: 118
  • Total: 3,082
  • Supplement: 313
  • BibTeX: 101
  • EndNote: 96
Views and downloads (calculated since 10 Sep 2015)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 10 Sep 2015)

Cited

Saved (preprint)

Latest update: 12 Nov 2024
Download
Short summary
We used a novel approach to reassess erosion rates on the CLP. We found that both current average topsoil erosion rates and the maximum magnitude of the erosion-induced carbon sink are overestimated on the CLP. Although average topsoil losses on the CLP are still high, a major increase in agricultural productivity occurred since 1980. Hence, erosion is currently not a direct threat to agricultural productivity on the CLP but the long-term effects of erosion on soil quality remain important.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint