A GIS-Based Assessment of Vulnerability to Aeolian Desertification in the Source Areas of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Study Area
2.1. Physiographic Settings
2.2. Distribution of Aeolian Desertified Land
3. Methods
3.1. Indicator System
3.2. Assessment Model
3.3. Vulnerability Index
3.4. Data
3.5. Analysis of Change Trends
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Vulnerability
4.2. Changes in Vulnerability
4.3. Driving Forces Responsible for Changes in the Vulnerability to Aeolian Desertification
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Dimension | Indicator 1 | Weight | Relation with Aeolian Desertification |
---|---|---|---|
Exposure | Relief of land surface [23] | 0.0650 | − |
Wind erosion climate erosivity [24] | 0.2235 | + | |
Mean annual temperature | 0.0698 | + | |
Sensitivity | Vegetation index (NDVI) [25] | 0.2048 | - |
Distribution of aeolian desertified land | 0.0786 | + | |
Distribution of severe aeolian desertified land | 0.1658 | + | |
Adaptive capacity | Population density | 0.1297 | + |
GDP density | 0.0628 | + |
Vulnerability | Range of DVI Values | Description |
---|---|---|
Very low | 0.00–0.24 | Stable, with relatively high vegetation cover (>40%) and high resistance to desertification; no signs of aeolian desertification |
Low | 0.24–0.31 | Relatively stable, with relatively high vegetation cover (20% to 40%) and resistance to desertification; semi-exposed gravel or fixed dunes (sandy land) present in places. A steppe or desert steppe landscape |
Moderate | 0.31–0.38 | Somewhat unstable, with relatively low vegetation cover (10% to 20%) and resistance to desertification; bare gravel and shifting dunes cover 10% to 30% of the land. A desert or desert steppe landscape |
High | 0.38–0.51 | Unstable, with poor resistance to desertification and low vegetation cover (5% to 10%); semi-shifting dunes (sandy land) cover 30% to 50% of the land. The inter-dune depressions show a desert vegetation landscape. |
Very high | 0.51–1.00 | Extremely unstable, with poor resistance to desertification and low vegetation cover (<5%); shifting dunes (sandy land) cover more than 50% of the area. A desert vegetation landscape |
Year | Degree | Whole Area | Yangtze River | Yellow River | Zoige Basin | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Area (km2) | Percent (%) | Area (km2) | Percent (%) | Area (km2) | Percent (%) | Area (km2) | Percent (%) | ||
2000 | Very low | 96,275 | 35.3 | 23,569 | 16.6 | 55,268 | 49.5 | 17,438 | 90.1 |
Low | 79,633 | 29.2 | 41,742 | 29.4 | 36,139 | 32.3 | 1751 | 9.0 | |
Moderate | 58,255 | 21.3 | 42,769 | 30.2 | 15,462 | 13.8 | 24 | 0.1 | |
High | 32,287 | 11.8 | 29,702 | 20.9 | 2439 | 2.2 | 146 | 0.8 | |
Very high | 6689 | 2.4 | 4186 | 2.9 | 2503 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | |
2005 | Very low | 92,868 | 33.9 | 21,155 | 14.9 | 54,267 | 48.6 | 17,264 | 89.2 |
Low | 76,928 | 28.2 | 35,695 | 25.2 | 39,272 | 35.1 | 1961 | 10.1 | |
Moderate | 53,534 | 19.6 | 39,055 | 27.5 | 14,465 | 12.9 | 14 | 0.1 | |
High | 43,532 | 15.9 | 41,685 | 29.4 | 1727 | 1.5 | 120 | 0.6 | |
Very high | 6462 | 2.4 | 4320 | 3.0 | 2142 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | |
2010 | Very low | 95,985 | 35.1 | 25,877 | 18.2 | 50,846 | 45.4 | 19,262 | 99.5 |
Low | 97,662 | 35.7 | 48,604 | 34.1 | 48,971 | 43.7 | 87 | 0.4 | |
Moderate | 52,344 | 19.1 | 43,100 | 30.3 | 9243 | 8.3 | 1 | 0 | |
High | 24,220 | 8.8 | 23,530 | 16.5 | 678 | 0.6 | 12 | 0.1 | |
Very high | 3489 | 1.3 | 1234 | 0.9 | 2255 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
Region | IVI | Variation of IVI | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2000–2005 | 2005–2010 | |
Source areas of the Yangtze River | 2.6422 | 2.8038 | 2.4776 | 0.1616 | −0.3262 |
Source areas of the Yellow River | 1.7548 | 1.7335 | 1.7009 | −0.0213 | −0.0326 |
The Zoige Basin | 1.1156 | 1.1213 | 1.0069 | 0.0057 | −0.1144 |
The whole study area | 2.1709 | 2.2463 | 2.0057 | 0.0754 | −0.2406 |
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Ren, X.; Dong, Z.; Hu, G.; Zhang, D.; Li, Q. A GIS-Based Assessment of Vulnerability to Aeolian Desertification in the Source Areas of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Remote Sens. 2016, 8, 626. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8080626
Ren X, Dong Z, Hu G, Zhang D, Li Q. A GIS-Based Assessment of Vulnerability to Aeolian Desertification in the Source Areas of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Remote Sensing. 2016; 8(8):626. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8080626
Chicago/Turabian StyleRen, Xiaobin, Zhibao Dong, Guangyin Hu, Donghai Zhang, and Qing Li. 2016. "A GIS-Based Assessment of Vulnerability to Aeolian Desertification in the Source Areas of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers" Remote Sensing 8, no. 8: 626. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8080626