Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of Land Use Change on Soil Carbon Storage and Water Consumption in an Oasis-Desert Ecotone

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Land use and ecosystem services need to be assessed simultaneously to better understand the relevant factors in sustainable land management. This paper analyzed land use changes in the middle reach of the arid Heihe River Basin in northwest China over the last two decades and their impacts on water resources and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. The results indicated that from 1986 to 2007: (1) cropland and human settlements expanded by 45.0 and 17.6 %, respectively, at the expense of 70.1, 35.7, and 4.1 % shrinkage on woodland, grassland, and semi-shrubby desert; (2) irrigation water use was dominant and increased (with fluctuations) at an average rate of 8.2 %, while basic human water consumption increased monotonically over a longer period from 1981 to 2011 at a rate of 58 %; and (3) cropland expansion or continuous cultivation led to a significant reduction of SOC, while the land use transition from grassland to semi-shrubby desert and the progressive succession of natural ecosystems such as semi-shrubby desert and grassland, in contrast, can bring about significant carbon sequestration benefits. The increased water consumption and decreased SOC pool associated with some observed land use changes may induce and aggravate potential ecological risks for both local and downstream ecosystems, including water resource shortages, soil quality declines, and degeneration of natural vegetation. Therefore, it is necessary to balance socioeconomic wellbeing and ecosystem services in land use planning and management for the sustainability of socio-ecological systems across spatiotemporal scales, especially in resource-poor arid environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arroita M, Causape J, Comin FA, Diez J, Jimenez JJ, Lacarta J, Lorente C, Merchan D, Muniz S, Navarro E, Val J, Elosegi A (2013) Irrigation agriculture affects organic matter decomposition in semi-arid terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. J Hazard Mater 263:139–145

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Benayas JMR, Newton AC, Diaz A, Bullock JM (2009) Enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services by ecological restoration: a meta-analysis. Science 325:1121–1124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beverly C, Roberts A, Hocking M, Pannell D, Dyson P (2011) Using linked surface-groundwater catchment modelling to assess protection options for environmental assets threatened by dryland salinity in southern-eastern Australia. J Hydrol 410:13–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bi LM, Hou HY, Yang LF (2013) Analysis on change trend of runoff in Yingluoxia station of Heihe river. Yellow River 35:23–25 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bing GL, Shi PJ, Ju LH (2010) Analysis on land use change and its driving factors in ecological fragile region: a case study in Zhangye City. Arid Zone Res 27(2):169–175 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowmer KH (2011) Water resource protection in Australia: links between land use and river health with a focus on stubble farming systems. J Hydrol 403:176–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen FS, Zeng DH, Fahey TJ, Liao PF (2010) Organic carbon in soil physical fractions under different-aged plantations of Mongolian pine in semi-arid region of northeast China. Appl Soil Ecol 44:42–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choudhary VK, Kumar PS, Bhagawati R (2013) Response of tillage and in situ moisture conservation on alteration of soil and morpho-physiological differences in maize under eastern Himalayan region of India. Soil Till Res 134:41–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowie AL, Penman TD, Gorissen L, Winslow MD, Lehmann J, Tyrrell TD, Twomlow S, Wilkes A, Lal R, Jones JW, Paulsch A, Kellner K, Akhtar-Schuster M (2011) Towards sustainable land management in the drylands: scientific connections in monitoring and assessing dryland degradation, climate change and biodiversity. Land Degrad Dev 22:248–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cusack DF, Chadwick OA, Ladefoged T, Vitousek PM (2013) Long-term effects of agriculture on soil carbon pools and carbon chemistry along a Hawaiian environmental gradient. Biogeochemistry 112:229–243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Darradi Y, Saur E, Laplana R, Lescot JM, Küntz V, Meyer BC (2012) Optimizing the environmental performance of agricultural activities: a case study in La Boulouze watershed. Ecol Indic 22:27–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De Baets S, Meersmans J, Vanacker V, Quine TA, Van Oost K (2013) Spatial variability and change in soil organic carbon stocks in response to recovery following land abandonment and erosion in mountainous drylands. Soil Use Manag 29:65–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeFries RS, Foley JA, Asner GP (2004) Land-use choices: balancing human needs and ecosystem function. Front Ecol Environ 2:249–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eppink FV, Werntze A, Mas S, Popp A, Seppelt R (2012) Land management and ecosystem services how collaborative research programmes can support better policies. Gaia-Ecol Perspect Sci Soc 21:55–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Fallahzade J, Hajabbasi MA (2012) The effects of irrigation and cultivation on the quality of desert soil in central Iran. Land Degrad Dev 23:53–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng J (2010) A study on the fluctuation of grain output in the City of Zhangye. J Hexi Univ 26(2):64–68 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Orenes F, Roldan A, Mataix-Solera J, Cerda A, Campoy M, Arcenegui V, Caravaca F (2012) Soil structural stability and erosion rates influenced by agricultural management practices in a semi-arid Mediterranean agro-ecosystem. Soil Use Manag 28:571–579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ge Y, Li X, Huang C, Nan Z (2013) A decision support system for irrigation water allocation along the middle reaches of the Heihe river basin, northwest China. Environ Model Softw 47:182–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haghighi F, Gorji M, Shorafa M (2010) A study of the effects of land use changes on soil physical properties and organic matter. Land Degrad Dev 21:496–502

    Google Scholar 

  • Jayawickreme DH, Santoni CS, Kim JH, Jobbagy EG, Jackson RB (2011) Changes in hydrology and salinity accompanying a century of agricultural conversion in Argentina. Ecol Appl 21:2367–2379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji XB, Kang ES, Chen RS, Zhao WZ, Zhang ZH, Jin BW (2007) A mathematical model for simulating water balances in cropped sandy soil with conventional flood irrigation applied. Agric Water Manag 87:337–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kienzler KM, Lamers JPA, McDonald A, Mirzabaev A, Ibragimov N, Egamberdiev O, Ruzibaev E, Akramkhanov A (2012) Conservation agriculture in Central Asia: what do we know and where do we go from here? Field Crops Res 132:95–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King EG, Franz TE, Caylor KK (2012) Ecohydrological interactions in a degraded two-phase mosaic dryland: implications for regime shifts, resilience, and restoration. Ecohydrology 5:733–745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (2004) Carbon sequestration in dryland ecosystems. Environ Manag 33:528–544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Latifovic R, Olthof I (2004) Accuracy assessment using sub-pixel fractional error matrices of global land cover products derived from satellite data. Remote Sens Environ 90:153–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Yan CZ (2013) Oasis evolution and human factors analysis in Hexi Corridor over the recent 20 years. J Arid Land Resour Environ 27(4):92–98 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li QS, Zhao WZ (2004) Effect of water allocation of the Heihe River on plan structure and stable development of the ecosystem in the Linze Oasis, Gansu. J Glaciol Geocryol 26:333–343 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li XG, Li FM, Rengel Z, Singh B, Wang ZF (2006) Cultivation effects on temporal changes of organic carbon and aggregate stability in desert soils of Hexi Corridor region in China. Soil Till Res 91:22–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Okin GS, Alvarez L, Epstein H (2008) Effects of wind erosion on the spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients in two desert grassland communities. Biogeochemistry 88:73–88

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Kinzelbach W, Zhou J, Cheng GD, Li X (2012) Modeling irrigated maize with a combination of coupled-model simulation and uncertainty analysis, in the northwest of China. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 16:1465–1480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li QQ, Yue TX, Wang CQ, Zhang WJ, Yu Y, Li B, Yang J, Bai GC (2013) Spatially distributed modeling of soil organic matter across China: an application of artificial neural network approach. Catena 104:210–218

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liao J, Wang T, Xue X (2012) Oasis evolution in the Heihe river basin since 1956. J Desert Res 32:1426–1441 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Q, Li Z (2012) Differences in farmer production technical efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency from household micro-data analysis in northwest inland arid regions of China. Chin J Eco-Agric 20:1375–1381 (In Chinese with English abstract)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lü Y, Sun R, Fu B, Wang Y (2012) Carbon retention by check dams: regional scale estimation. Ecol Eng 44:139–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luan LM (2007) Evaluating of water-saving society establishment in Zhangye City. China Water Resour 7:24–26 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma ZM, Lü YH, Sun FX, Wang JL (2013) Effects of land use on soil nutrient in oasis-desert ecotone in the middle reach of the Heihe river. Acta Ecol Sin 33:6328–6334

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maestre FT, Puche MD (2009) Indices based on surface indicators predict soil functioning in mediterranean semi-arid steppes. Appl Soil Ecol 41:342–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nan JQ, Wang YB, Shang HJ, Zhao XN, Wu PT, Ma XM, Xiao JF (2010) Investigation and developing countermeasures on current water using situation for agriculture in Heihe river basin. China Rural Water Hydropower 52(7):37–40 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nkonya E, Winslow M, Reed MS, Mortimore M, Mirzabaev A (2011) Monitoring and assessing the influence of social, economic and policy factors on sustainable land management in drylands. Land Degrad Dev 22:240–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pardo MT, Almendros G, Zancada MC, Lopez-Fando C, Gonzalez-Vila FJ (2012) Cultivation-induced effects on the organic matter in degraded southern African soils. Commun Soil Sci Plan 43:541–555

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qi SZ, Luo F (2006) Land-use change and its environmental impact in the Heihe river basin, arid northwestern China. Environ Geol 50:535–540

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qi SZ, Luo F (2007) Environmental degradation problems in the Heihe river basin, northwest China. Water Environ J 21:142–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qi SZ, Li XY, Duan HP (2007) Oasis land-use change and its environmental impact in Jinta Oasis, arid northwestern China. Environ Monit Assess 134:313–320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raiesi F (2012) Soil properties and C dynamics in abandoned and cultivated farmlands in a semi-arid ecosystem. Plant Soil 351:161–175

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Romanya J, Rovira P (2011) An appraisal of soil organic C content in mediterranean agricultural soils. Soil Use Manag 27:321–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Saiz G, Bird MI, Domingues T, Schrodt F, Schwarz M, Feldpausch TR, Veenendaal E, Djagbletey G, Hien F, Compaore H, Diallo A, Lloyd J (2012) Variation in soil carbon stocks and their determinants across a precipitation gradient in West Africa. Glob Chang Biol 18:1670–1683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santra P, Kumawat RN, Mertia RS, Mahla HR, Sinha NK (2012) Spatial variation of soil organic carbon stock in a typical agricultural farm of hot arid ecosystem of India. Curr Sci 103:1303–1309

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulp CJE, Verburg PH (2009) Effect of land use history and site factors on spatial variation of soil organic carbon across a physiographic region. Agric Ecosyst Environ 133:86–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwilch G, Bestelmeyer B, Bunning S, Critchley W, Herrick J, Kellner K, Liniger HP, Nachtergaele F, Ritsema CJ, Schuster B, Tabo R, van Lynden G, Winslow M (2011) Experiences in monitoring and assessment of sustainable land management. Land Degrad Dev 22:214–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi ZH, Chen LD, Hao JP, Wang TW, Cai CF (2009) The effects of land use change on environmental quality in the red soil hilly region, China: a case study in Xianning county. Environ Monit Assess 150:295–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi ZH, Li L, Yin W, Ai L, Fang NF, Song YT (2011) Use of multi-temporal Landsat images for analyzing forest transition in relation to socioeconomic factors and the environment. Int J Appl Earth Observ 13:468–476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srinivasarao C, Venkateswarlu B, Lal R, Singh AK, Kundu S (2013) Sustainable management of soils of dryland ecosystems of India for enhancing agronomic productivity and sequestering carbon. Adv Agron 121:253–329

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Bureau of Zhangeye City (SBZC) (1981) Statistics yearbook of Zhangye City. Zhangye Press, Zhangye City (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Bureau of Zhangeye City (SBZC) (1989) Statistics yearbook of Zhangye City. Zhangye Press, Zhangye City (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Bureau of Zhangeye City (SBZC) (2001) Statistics yearbook of Zhangye City. Zhangye Press, Zhangye City (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Bureau of Zhangeye City (SBZC) (2011) Statistics yearbook of Zhangye City. Zhangye Press, Zhangye City (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Su YZ, Yang R, Liu WJ, Wang XF (2010) Evolution of soil structure and fertility after conversion of native sandy desert soil to irrigated cropland in arid region, China. Soil Sci 175:246–254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Oudenhoven APE, Petz K, Alkemade R, Hein L, de Groot RS (2012) Framework for systematic indicator selection to assess effects of land management on ecosystem services. Ecol Indic 21:110–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Liu L (2013) Monitoring on land cover pattern and crops structure of oasis irrigation area of middle reaches in Heihe river basin using remote sensing data. Adv Earth Sci 28:948–956 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang GX, Ma HY, Qian J, Chang J (2004) Impact of land use changes on soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and water pollution in an arid region of northwest China. Soil Use Manag 20:32–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang GX, Liu JQ, Kubota J, Chen L (2007) Effects of land-use changes on hydrological processes in the middle basin of the Heihe river, northwest China. Hydrol Process 21:1370–1382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YB, Feng Q, Si JH, Su YH, Chang ZQ, Xi HY (2011a) The changes of vegetation cover in Ejina Oasis based on water resources redistribution in Heihe river. Environ Earth Sci 64:1965–1973

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YF, Fu BJ, Lü YH, Chen LD (2011b) Effects of vegetation restoration on soil organic carbon sequestration at multiple-scales in semi-arid Loess Plateau, China. Catena 85:58–66

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Wu P, Zhao X, Jin J (2012) Water-saving crop planning using multiple objective chaos particle swarm optimization for sustainable agricultural and soil resources development. Clean Soil Air Water 40:1376–1384

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang MY, Shi XZ, Yu DS, Xu SX, Tan MZ, Sun WX, Zhao YC (2013a) Regional differences in the effect of climate and soil texture on soil organic carbon. Pedosphere 23:799–807

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Feng Q, Chen LJ, Yu TF (2013b) Significance and effect of ecological rehabilitation project in inland river basins in northwest China. Environ Manag 52:209–220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wei Z, Jin H, Nan Y, Yang S, Wu J, Wang S (2007) The effect on water environment in middle and downstream area of Heihe river after water allocation. J Irrig Drain 26:34–36 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu F, Zhan J, Yan H, Shi C, Huang J (2013) Land cover mapping based on multisource spatial data mining approach for climate simulation: a case study in the farming-pastoral ecotone of north China. Adv Meteorol. doi:10.1155/2013/520803

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang R, Su YZ, Gan YT, Du MW, Wang M (2013) Field-scale spatial distribution characteristics of soil nutrients in a newly reclaimed sandy cropland in the Hexi Corridor of northwest China. Environ Earth Sci 70:2987–2996

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng Z, Liu J, Koeneman PH, Zarate E, Hoekstra AY (2012) Assessing water footprint at river basin level: a case study for the Heihe river basin in northwest China. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 16:2771–2781

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang JL (2007) Barriers to water markets in the Heihe river basin in northwest China. Agric Water Manag 87:32–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L, Heerink N, Dries L, Shi X (2013) Water users associations and irrigation water productivity in northern China. Ecol Econ 95:128–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L, Zhu X, Heerink N, Shi X (2014) Does output market development affect irrigation water institutions? Insights from a case study in northern China. Agric Water Manag 131:70–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhangye Municipal Government (ZMG) (2003) The guideline of ecological water quotas in Zhangye City. Governmental Report

  • Zhao WZ, Yang R (2010) A technological study on oasis agricultural adaptation to climate change in the Heihe river basin. Adv Climate Res 6(3):204–209 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao ZX, Yao ZL, Xiao ZW (2002) The need to reduce cropland for maize and wheat production in Zhangye prefecture, Gansu. Agric Sci Technol 40(2):12–13 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao WZ, Niu ZR, Chang XL, Li SB (2010) Water consumption in artificial desert oasis based on net primary productivity. Sci China Earth Sci 53:1358–1364

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science of China (No. 91025002) and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2012BAC08B01).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, China

    Yihe Lü, Zhimin Ma, Feixiang Sun & Bojie Fu

  2. College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, 700 Great Wall Road, Chengyang, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong, China

    Zhijiang Zhao

Authors
  1. Yihe Lü
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhimin Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhijiang Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Feixiang Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bojie Fu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yihe Lü.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lü, Y., Ma, Z., Zhao, Z. et al. Effects of Land Use Change on Soil Carbon Storage and Water Consumption in an Oasis-Desert Ecotone. Environmental Management 53, 1066–1076 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-014-0262-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-014-0262-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation