Soil wind erosion and its driving forces in the three-north region, China

Abstract

The Three-North Region hosts the world's largest and longest-running artificial afforestation project. Systematic research in this area is not only an ecological imperative but also a key strategic instrument for alleviating China's forest resource shortages and their associated economic burdens. To elucidate the magnitude and trajectory of soil wind erosion over recent decades, this study applied the Geodetector method and the RWEQ model to quantify the contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors to erosion risk, aiming to provide theoretical and empirical support for ongoing shelterbelt initiatives. Results indicate that over the study period, the retention rate of windbreak and sand-fixation measures rose from 12.97% to 13.22%, while total soil wind erosion exhibited a fluctuating yet downward trend from west to east, with a mean erosion modulus of 724.57 t/km 2 . High-erosion areas were concentrated in Northwest and North China (24.61% of the total area), whereas the Northeast Plain sustained lower intensity. Slight erosion was dominant, severe erosion occupied the smallest proportion, and destructive and very severe erosion were confined to the Tarim Basin, Junggar Basin, Gonghe Basin, major deserts and sandy lands, and the Qilian Mountains. Slight and moderate erosion mainly occurred in the Northeast Plain, accounting for 62.42% of the erosion-affected area, while tolerable erosion was largely restricted to the Turpan Basin. Among all factors, soil type and temperature emerged as primary drivers of temporal changes, while spatial patterns were predominantly governed by interactions among wind speed, vegetation cover, elevation, precipitation, and soil type.