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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (1): 1-9.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2024.00078

   

Desertification sensitivity assessment in the Gonghe Basin

Hong Jia(), Lianyou Liu, Jifu Liu()   

  1. Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster of Ministry of Education / MOE Engineering Research Center of Desertification and Blown-Sand Control / Faculty of Geographical Science,Beijing Normal University,Beijing 100875,China
  • Received:2024-05-13 Revised:2024-05-28 Online:2025-01-20 Published:2025-01-13
  • Contact: Jifu Liu

Abstract:

The Gonghe Basin is located in a sensitive area of climate change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and is facing serious desertification threats due to extreme climate conditions and irrational human activities. In this study, we used MEDALUS model to evaluate the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of desertification sensitivity from 2000 to 2020 based on the climate quality index (CQI), vegetation quality index (VQI), soil quality index (SQI) and management quality index (MQI), and then analyzed the driving mechanism of desertification sensitivity using Geodetector. The results showed: (1) The land desertification in the study area was mainly characterized by medium to high sensitivity, showing a spatial pattern of high sensitivity in the central region and low sensitivity in the surrounding areas. (2) From 2000 to 2020, the desertification sensitivity of the Gonghe Basin significantly decreased, and the land area with high and extremely high desertification sensitivity had markedly declined. (3) The influence of climate quality index and vegetation quality index on desertification sensitivity was higher than that of soil quality index and management quality index; the desertification sensitivity of Gonghe Basin was affected by both natural and human factors, and the interaction between vegetation quality index and management quality index was the dominant factor of desertification sensitivity.

Key words: desertification, MEDALUS, sensitivity assessment, Geodetector, Gonghe Basin

CLC Number: