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Zhengchao Zhou
School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China

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Journal article
Published: 03 February 2021 in Ecological Modelling
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Root reinforcement is considered an important factor contributing to vegetated hillslope stability. The study aims to extend the understanding of spatial variance in the distributions of roots and mechanical characteristics of Artemisia sacrorum (Artemisia gmelinii Web.) regarding root reinforcement after returning cropland to forestland and grassland on the Loess Plateau of China. The Wu and Waldron model (WW model) and infinite slope method were adopted to estimate the sensitivity of root reinforcement to the mechanical characteristics and the distributions of roots. The results demonstrated that 1) over 80% of root parameters were found in the top 0.3 m soil layer, in which the proportions of the densities of root length (RLD), root surface area (RSAD) and root volume (RVD) were 81.7%, 89.9% and 92.7%, respectively. The root parameters declined with increasing soil depth. 2) The tensile characteristics (tensile strength and force) were significantly correlated with the root diameters as power functions. There was a significant difference in tensile strength between the 0 ~ 0.7 mm and other diameter classes, while there was no significant difference amongst the five gauge lengths. 3) The slope safety factor (Fs) of Artemisia sacrorum was always larger than 1, both in different soil depths (0.1 m, 0.2 m and 0.3 m) and at slopes < 45° Artemisia sacrorum could mainly stabilise the slope in the silt loam area of the Loess Plateau of China. These conclusions have a theoretical and practical significance for the slope stability, surface landslides and other geological hazards in arid environments.

ACS Style

Xuemeng Su; Zhengchao Zhou; Jun'e Liu; Liguo Cao; Junyang Liu; Peipei Wang. Estimating slope stability by the root reinforcement mechanism of Artemisia sacrorum on the Loess Plateau of China. Ecological Modelling 2021, 444, 109473 .

AMA Style

Xuemeng Su, Zhengchao Zhou, Jun'e Liu, Liguo Cao, Junyang Liu, Peipei Wang. Estimating slope stability by the root reinforcement mechanism of Artemisia sacrorum on the Loess Plateau of China. Ecological Modelling. 2021; 444 ():109473.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xuemeng Su; Zhengchao Zhou; Jun'e Liu; Liguo Cao; Junyang Liu; Peipei Wang. 2021. "Estimating slope stability by the root reinforcement mechanism of Artemisia sacrorum on the Loess Plateau of China." Ecological Modelling 444, no. : 109473.

Review article
Published: 14 November 2020 in CATENA
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Due to atmospheric nuclear weapon tests carried out by various countries and the ground-level test series conducted at Marshall Islands by the US, marine environments have been extensively contaminated by plutonium over the Western Pacific marginal seas, especially in the China Seas. The released plutonium isotopes can serve as geochemical tracers for various physical and biogeochemical ocean processes. In this critical review, the source term, temporal-spatial distribution and geochemical behavior of plutonium isotopes in seawater and sediments in the China Seas are summarized and discussed, and then they are compared to those in the neighboring seas. A database of plutonium activity concentrations, isotope ratio, and inventories in marine environments in the China Seas is established. We concluded that global fallout and the Pacific Proving Grounds were still the major source of plutonium in the China Seas. The spatial distributions of plutonium in the China Seas indicated surface plutonium activity concentration in sediments in estuary area is lower than that in shelf region, and we thus clarified that plutonium in seawater in nearshore area is scavenged more efficiently than in open sea. Finally, future research needs for plutonium in marine environments are discussed.

ACS Style

Liguo Cao; Jian Zheng; Zhengchao Zhou; Wenting Bu; Zhongtang Wang; Wang Zheng; Masatoshi Yamada. Distribution and behavior of plutonium isotopes in Western Pacific marginal seas. CATENA 2020, 198, 105023 .

AMA Style

Liguo Cao, Jian Zheng, Zhengchao Zhou, Wenting Bu, Zhongtang Wang, Wang Zheng, Masatoshi Yamada. Distribution and behavior of plutonium isotopes in Western Pacific marginal seas. CATENA. 2020; 198 ():105023.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liguo Cao; Jian Zheng; Zhengchao Zhou; Wenting Bu; Zhongtang Wang; Wang Zheng; Masatoshi Yamada. 2020. "Distribution and behavior of plutonium isotopes in Western Pacific marginal seas." CATENA 198, no. : 105023.

Research article
Published: 03 August 2020 in SN Applied Sciences
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Soil microbial biomass and microbial metabolic quotients have been identified as the most effective indicators of a response to ecosystem development and disturbance. In order to determine the effects of grassland restoration programs, we analyzed the distribution of soil microbial parameters in different aggregate fractions at 1 yr. (1 year), 10 yr. (10 years) and 30 yr (30 years). Results show that Cmic (soil microbial biomass carbon) and Pmic (soil microbial biomass phosphorus) increased with grassland succession, the greatest values were concentrated at a micro-aggregate size. However, qCO2 (soil microbial metabolic quotient) decreased as the years under restoration increased. qCO2 was significantly correlated with SOC (soil organic carbon), TN (soil total nitrogen), Pmic (negatively) and Cmic (positively). Natural succession of grassland alters soil microbial properties positively, which plays a major role in aggregate formation. The time under vegetation rehabilitation impacts soil microbial parameters at different aggregate sizes, macro-aggregate size is the key factor in soil stability improvement in the process of natural restoration, especially for the aggregate size of 2–3 mm.

ACS Style

Zhijing Xue; Zhongming Wen; Zhengchao Zhou; Shaoshan An. The distribution of soil microbial parameters based on aggregate fractions in successional grassland restoration ecosystems on the Loess Plateau. SN Applied Sciences 2020, 2, 1 -12.

AMA Style

Zhijing Xue, Zhongming Wen, Zhengchao Zhou, Shaoshan An. The distribution of soil microbial parameters based on aggregate fractions in successional grassland restoration ecosystems on the Loess Plateau. SN Applied Sciences. 2020; 2 (9):1-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhijing Xue; Zhongming Wen; Zhengchao Zhou; Shaoshan An. 2020. "The distribution of soil microbial parameters based on aggregate fractions in successional grassland restoration ecosystems on the Loess Plateau." SN Applied Sciences 2, no. 9: 1-12.

Journal article
Published: 31 July 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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Patchiness of grassland results in important effects on ecohydrological processes in arid and semiarid areas; however, the influences on subsurface water flow and soil water distribution remain poorly understood, particularly during vegetation succession on slopes. This study examined these effects by comparing the water flow behaviors and preferential infiltration between vegetation patches (VP) and interspace patches (IP) in three sites at different states of vegetation succession (grass, subshrub and shrub) in abandoned farmland of the Loess Plateau, China. Dye tracer infiltration showed that patchiness of vegetation increased spatial variations of soil water and preferential infiltration by increasing the densities of fine root length and fine root volume in the soil profile. Moreover, the more abundant and intricate roots following a lateral direction beneath VP likely contributed to lateral flow and infiltration variability. However, differences between VP and IP were not significant because considerable living fine roots and decayed roots of IP also provided preferential flow pathways. Our finding indicated that IP could compete with VP for access to soil water resources, which potentially increased hillslope-scale infiltration and reduced surface runoff and erosion risk. Under the different states of vegetation succession, subshrub patches showed significantly greater preferential infiltration volume (28.53 mm) and contribution of preferential infiltration to total infiltration (60.58%) than grass and shrub patches. Vegetation patch size made positive effects on improving preferential flow and water movement. Greater preferential flow in subshrub patches played a positive role in soil water storage and replenishment. Therefore, natural restoration of a slope area with small heterogeneity in preferential flow can be successfully applied in the Loess Plateau, particularly during the subshrub succession state.

ACS Style

Rui Wang; Zhibao Dong; Zhengchao Zhou; Ning Wang; Zhijing Xue; Liguo Cao. Effect of vegetation patchiness on the subsurface water distribution in abandoned farmland of the Loess Plateau, China. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 746, 141416 .

AMA Style

Rui Wang, Zhibao Dong, Zhengchao Zhou, Ning Wang, Zhijing Xue, Liguo Cao. Effect of vegetation patchiness on the subsurface water distribution in abandoned farmland of the Loess Plateau, China. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 746 ():141416.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rui Wang; Zhibao Dong; Zhengchao Zhou; Ning Wang; Zhijing Xue; Liguo Cao. 2020. "Effect of vegetation patchiness on the subsurface water distribution in abandoned farmland of the Loess Plateau, China." Science of The Total Environment 746, no. : 141416.

Article
Published: 12 December 2019 in Journal of Mountain Science
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Frozen ground degradation plays an important role in vegetation growth and activity in high-altitude cold regions. This study estimated the spatiotemporal variations in the active layer thickness (ALT) of the permafrost region and the soil freeze depth (SFD) in the seasonally frozen ground region across the Three Rivers Source Region (TRSR) from 1980 to 2014 using the Stefan equation, and differentiated the effects of these variations on alpine vegetation in these two regions. The results showed that the average ALT from 1980 to 2014 increased by 23.01 cm/10a, while the average SFD decreased by 3.41 cm/10a, and both changed intensively in the transitional zone between the seasonally frozen ground and permafrost. From 1982–2014, the increase in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the advancement of the start of the vegetation growing season (SOS) in the seasonally frozen ground region (0.0078/10a, 1.83d/10a) were greater than those in the permafrost region (0.0057/10a, 0.39d/10a). The results of the correlation analysis indicated that increases in the ALT and decreases in the SFD in the TRSR could lead to increases in the NDVI and advancement of the SOS. Surface soil moisture played a critical role in vegetation growth in association with the increasing ALT and decreasing SFD. The NDVI for all vegetation types in the TRSR except for alpine vegetation showed an increasing trend that was significantly related to the SFD and ALT. During the study period, the general frozen ground conditions were favorable to vegetation growth, while the average contributions of ALT and SFD to the interannual variation in the NDVI were greater than that of precipitation but less than that of temperature.

ACS Style

Rui Wang; Zhi-Bao Dong; Zheng-Chao Zhou. Changes in the depths of seasonal freezing and thawing and their effects on vegetation in the Three-River Headwater Region of the Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Mountain Science 2019, 16, 2810 -2827.

AMA Style

Rui Wang, Zhi-Bao Dong, Zheng-Chao Zhou. Changes in the depths of seasonal freezing and thawing and their effects on vegetation in the Three-River Headwater Region of the Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Mountain Science. 2019; 16 (12):2810-2827.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rui Wang; Zhi-Bao Dong; Zheng-Chao Zhou. 2019. "Changes in the depths of seasonal freezing and thawing and their effects on vegetation in the Three-River Headwater Region of the Tibetan Plateau." Journal of Mountain Science 16, no. 12: 2810-2827.

Research article
Published: 09 December 2019 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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Coastal wetlands are crucial to global climate change due to their roles in modulating atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) (CO2, CH4, N2O). Under a warming climate, we investigated spatial and temporal variations of GHGs emissions over the coastal wetlands in southeastern China during 2012–2014. Five dominant land cover types in coastal wetlands have been considered, including the bare mud flat (BF), the Spartina alterniflora flats (SAF), the Suaeda glauca flats (SGF), the Phragmites australis flat (PAF), and the Scripus triqueter flat (STF). The results showed that the annual average CO2 fluxes were 305.8, 588.8, 370.2, and 136.5 mg m−2 h−1 from spring to winter. CH4 fluxes presented to be a sink in spring (− 0.02 mg m−2 h−1), and functioned as a source in the following seasons. Correlation analysis indicated that the surface air temperature and the cumulative precipitation could be two main factors that influenced the seasonal and inter-annual variations of GHGs emissions. In addition, we provided a regional budget of GHGs emissions that suggested the variations of GHGs emissions under a warming climate.

ACS Style

Liguo Cao; Zhengchao Zhou; Xinwanghao Xu; Fu-Xi Shi. Spatial and temporal variations of the greenhouse gas emissions in coastal saline wetlands in southeastern China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2019, 27, 1118 -1130.

AMA Style

Liguo Cao, Zhengchao Zhou, Xinwanghao Xu, Fu-Xi Shi. Spatial and temporal variations of the greenhouse gas emissions in coastal saline wetlands in southeastern China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2019; 27 (1):1118-1130.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liguo Cao; Zhengchao Zhou; Xinwanghao Xu; Fu-Xi Shi. 2019. "Spatial and temporal variations of the greenhouse gas emissions in coastal saline wetlands in southeastern China." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27, no. 1: 1118-1130.

Journal article
Published: 06 December 2019 in Land
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The restoration of vegetation in abandoned farmlands is an effective approach to control soil erosion on the Chinese Loess Plateau. However, few studies have investigated the effect of natural restoration age on the infiltration patterns and preferential flow in soil layers. This study examined the effect of the temporal variations in the degree of preferential flow and their contribution on the total infiltration in abandoned farmlands restored with different vegetation communities. In total, four sites were investigated, namely site AF3, AF12, AF18 and AF25 of restoration age of 3, 12, 18 and 25 years, respectively. A traditional dye tracer experiment was adopted to visualize the water flow behavior in the four sites. A semi-variance analysis was conducted to interpret the spatial variability of the soil water induced by infiltration. The results showed that both the soil properties and the root systems improved with the increased natural restoration ages combined with the effect of the plant species. The degree of preferential flow from the lowest to the highest occurred in AF3, AF12, AF18 and AF25, which was mainly affected by the development of root systems. Also, the abundant lateral root and steeper slope may have caused the presence of lateral flow in AF18 and AF25. Meanwhile, the spatial variability of the soil water in the infiltration patterns through vertical soil profiles increased from AF3 to AF25. Compared to AF3, the infiltration volume through preferential pathways in AF12, AF18 and AF25 increased by 1.73 times, 1.94 times and 4.09 times, respectively. Therefore, the preferential flow was improved in abandoned farmland in the presence of natural vegetation restoration that can increase water storage in the deep soil layer and reduce surface runoff and erosion.

ACS Style

Rui Wang; Zhibao Dong; Zhengchao Zhou; Peipei Wang. Temporal Variation in Preferential Water Flow during Natural Vegetation Restoration on Abandoned Farmland in the Loess Plateau of China. Land 2019, 8, 186 .

AMA Style

Rui Wang, Zhibao Dong, Zhengchao Zhou, Peipei Wang. Temporal Variation in Preferential Water Flow during Natural Vegetation Restoration on Abandoned Farmland in the Loess Plateau of China. Land. 2019; 8 (12):186.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rui Wang; Zhibao Dong; Zhengchao Zhou; Peipei Wang. 2019. "Temporal Variation in Preferential Water Flow during Natural Vegetation Restoration on Abandoned Farmland in the Loess Plateau of China." Land 8, no. 12: 186.

Journal article
Published: 18 September 2019 in Soil and Tillage Research
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The objectives of this study were to evaluate different root parameters for estimating rill detachment, and to compare and quantify the effectiveness of planted and natural vegetation on soil physical characteristics and in reducing rill detachment and erodibility. Laboratory-concentrated-flow flume tests were performed under a flow discharge of 3 L min−1 and a slope of 15° with intact soil samples. A silt loam soil (Calcic Cambisol, in Loess Plateau in China) was sampled in 2015 from laboratory with planted ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and in 2014 from natural vegetation fields under 12 to 36-a restoration. The results indicated that root length density was the best parameter for estimating the effects of roots on rill detachment and erodibility for both planted ryegrass and natural vegetation, with exponential reduction equations. The exponents were more negative for natural vegetation (−0.411) than for planted species (−0.217) because of the existence of more complex root networks under more diverse natural vegetation. Rill erodibility of soil samples with roots decreased exponentially from the baseline erodibility of the root-free soil as RLD increased. Root systems of the restored natural vegetation ameliorated soil characteristics (bulk density, aggregate stability and organic matter content) more profoundly than those of the laboratory tests due to stronger bonding and binding effects, resulting in a lower absolute soil detachment rate for a given root density. There existed a vertical decay distribution pattern of root densities with soil depth for natural vegetation and planted ryegrass, and this distribution of root systems reached a steady state after 12 years natural vegetation restoration. More vegetation types under more different hydraulic conditions should be evaluated in future studies to provide better scientific bases for modelling their impacts on rill detachment and erodibility.

ACS Style

Jun’E Liu; Xunchang Zhang; Zhengchao Zhou. Quantifying effects of root systems of planted and natural vegetation on rill detachment and erodibility of a loessial soil. Soil and Tillage Research 2019, 195, 104420 .

AMA Style

Jun’E Liu, Xunchang Zhang, Zhengchao Zhou. Quantifying effects of root systems of planted and natural vegetation on rill detachment and erodibility of a loessial soil. Soil and Tillage Research. 2019; 195 ():104420.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jun’E Liu; Xunchang Zhang; Zhengchao Zhou. 2019. "Quantifying effects of root systems of planted and natural vegetation on rill detachment and erodibility of a loessial soil." Soil and Tillage Research 195, no. : 104420.

Article
Published: 07 September 2019 in Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
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The vertical distribution and migration behavior of 239+240Pu in a soil core in northern Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province was investigated. The results showed that the 239+240Pu activity concentration was in the range of 0.02–0.75 mBq/g. The measured atom ratios of 240Pu/239Pu in the soil profile varied from 0.179 to 0.201 and were consistent with the typical global fallout. The inventory of 239+240Pu was 66 Bq/m2 in the sampling site and the proportion of Pu in the first 10 cm top layer accounted for around 75%. The apparent convection velocity and effective dispersion coefficient were 0.19 cm/year and 0.12 cm2/year by the convection dispersion equation model, respectively. Further investigation is still highly required to clarify the dominant factors that control Pu migration.

ACS Style

Liguo Cao; Zhengchao Zhou; Ning Wang; Zhongtang Wang. Vertical distribution and migration of plutonium in the Loess Plateau, North Shaanxi, China. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 2019, 322, 649 -654.

AMA Style

Liguo Cao, Zhengchao Zhou, Ning Wang, Zhongtang Wang. Vertical distribution and migration of plutonium in the Loess Plateau, North Shaanxi, China. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. 2019; 322 (2):649-654.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liguo Cao; Zhengchao Zhou; Ning Wang; Zhongtang Wang. 2019. "Vertical distribution and migration of plutonium in the Loess Plateau, North Shaanxi, China." Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 322, no. 2: 649-654.

Journal article
Published: 29 January 2019 in Journal of Hydrology
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Rigorous validation of the first-order detachment-transport coupling concept using different sediment sizes is nonexistent in the literature. We hypothesized that particle sizes in a sediment-laden flow can affect soil detachment. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between detachment rates by rill flows and hydraulic parameters under low flow discharges, and to quantify the responses of soil detachment rates to sediment loads and median sizes. A concentrated flow flume test was conducted under three low flow discharges (0.00033, 0.00067 and 0.00100 m2·s-1) and three sediment concentrations (50, 100 and 200 kg·m-3) with five median sizes (0.233, 0.204, 0.169, 0.115 and 0.078 mm). The results showed that the relationship between soil detachment capacity and shear stress fits the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model well (R2 = 0.89). Stream power, compared with shear stress, is a better hydraulic parameter in simulating soil detachment rates under different sediment concentrations. The soil detachment rates by sediment-laden rill flows were negatively related to both sediment loads and sediment median sizes, validating the first-order sediment feedback relationships used in the WEPP model. The overall responses of soil detachment rates to sediment loads and sediment median sizes followed multivariate linear relationships, further demonstrating the negative feedbacks of sediment load and size on soil detachment by rill flow.

ACS Style

Jun'e Liu; Zhengchao Zhou; Xunchang John Zhang. Impacts of sediment load and size on rill detachment under low flow discharges. Journal of Hydrology 2019, 570, 719 -725.

AMA Style

Jun'e Liu, Zhengchao Zhou, Xunchang John Zhang. Impacts of sediment load and size on rill detachment under low flow discharges. Journal of Hydrology. 2019; 570 ():719-725.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jun'e Liu; Zhengchao Zhou; Xunchang John Zhang. 2019. "Impacts of sediment load and size on rill detachment under low flow discharges." Journal of Hydrology 570, no. : 719-725.

Journal article
Published: 04 June 2015 in Journal of Arid Land
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Soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) play a crucial role in determining the soil and environmental quality. In this study, we investigated the effects of 26 years (from 1984 to 2010) of farmland management on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil N in abandoned, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) non-fertilized, wheat fertilized (mineral fertilizer and organic manure) and alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) non-fertilized treatments in a semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau, China. Our results showed that SOC and soil total N contents in the 0–20 cm soil layer increased by 4.29 (24.4%) and 1.39 Mg/hm2 (100%), respectively, after the conversion of farmland to alfalfa land. Compared to the wheat non-fertilized treatment, SOC and soil total N contents in the 0–20 cm soil layer increased by 4.64 (26.4%) and 1.18 Mg/hm2 (85.5%), respectively, in the wheat fertilized treatment. In addition, we found that the extents of changes in SOC, soil total N and mineral N depended on soil depth were greater in the upper soil layer (0–30 cm) than in the deeper soil layer (30–100 cm) in the alfalfa land or fertilizer-applied wheat land. Fertilizer applied to winter wheat could increase the accumulation rates of SOC and soil total N. SOC concentration had a significant positive correlation with soil total N concentration. Therefore, this study suggested that farmland management, e.g. the conversion of farmland to alfalfa forage land and fertilizer application, could promote the sequestrations of C and N in soils in semi-arid regions.

ACS Style

Zhengchao Zhou; Xiaoyan Zhang; Zhuoting Gan. Changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen after 26 years of farmland management on the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Arid Land 2015, 7, 806 -813.

AMA Style

Zhengchao Zhou, Xiaoyan Zhang, Zhuoting Gan. Changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen after 26 years of farmland management on the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Arid Land. 2015; 7 (6):806-813.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhengchao Zhou; Xiaoyan Zhang; Zhuoting Gan. 2015. "Changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen after 26 years of farmland management on the Loess Plateau of China." Journal of Arid Land 7, no. 6: 806-813.