Article
Ecology
Shuainan Liu, Jiangqi Wu, Guang Li, Chuanjie Yang, Jianyu Yuan, Mingjun Xie
Summary: Soil carbon pools play a vital role in maintaining the stability of the carbon cycle and regulating climate change. This study investigated the variations of soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and easily oxidized organic carbon under different vegetation restoration types during seasonal freeze-thaw processes in a high-altitude region. The results showed that Xanthoceras sorbifolia vegetation had higher carbon contents compared to grassland and Caragana korshinskii vegetation, but lower sensitivity. The freeze-thaw process reduced microbial biomass carbon and increased dissolved organic carbon in the soil. Additionally, dissolved organic carbon and easily oxidized organic carbon accumulated during the freezing period and decreased during thawing. The study also revealed that soil carbon contents were higher in the surface soils, but the sensitivity to freeze-thaw processes differed among soil depths. Soil total nitrogen, temperature, total phosphorus, and soil water content were identified as important environmental factors influencing soil carbon pool fractions during freeze-thaw processes. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering vegetation restoration types and seasonal freeze-thaw processes in managing soil carbon pools.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lei Xu, Xiangyu Xing, Jingfeng Bai, Ding Li
Summary: This study conducted a 3-year in situ experiment to investigate the influence of phytoremediation on soil aggregate structure, stability, and stoichiometric characteristics in smelter-impacted soils. The results showed that phytoremediation treatments increased the content of mechanically-stable and water-stable aggregates, improved aggregate stability and reduced soil fractal dimension. Plant treatments also significantly increased the nitrogen and phosphorus content in different-size aggregates. The combined remediation method effectively reduced the availability of heavy metals in contaminated soil.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaojun Liu, Yi Zhang, Ling Zhang, Xiangmin Fang, Wenping Deng, Yuanqiu Liu
Summary: This study aimed to analyze the effect of five different vegetation restoration regimes on water stable aggregate (WSA) mineral adsorption of labile organic carbon (LOC) fractions in subtropical red soil. The results showed that the degraded red soil was dominated by large macro-aggregates with the highest content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Soil porosity and total nitrogen (TN) were the main soil parameters that explained the most variance, and leaf biomass, <0.053 mm aggregates, and TN were identified as indicators to evaluate the impact of vegetation restoration on WSA-associated SOC fractions.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Bruna Silva, Ana Paula Ferreira Pinto, Augusto Gomes, Antonio Candeias
Summary: The study found that the water-reducer based on polynaphthalene sulfonate and the water-repellent based on silicone resin significantly improved the freeze-thaw resistance of lime mortars, followed by the air-entrainers based on sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium alfa-olefin sulfonate. Tensile strength and water absorption capacity were identified as the main factors influencing mortar resistance to freeze-thaw cycles. Ultrasonic pulse velocity and drilling resistance were valuable methods for detecting changes in mechanical properties due to freeze-thaw cycles.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Da Wei, Pinghua Zhu, Xiancui Yan, Hui Liu, Chunhong Chen, Zhen Wang
Summary: This paper evaluates the reuse potential of waste recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) as coarse recycled aggregate (CRA) for structural concrete in a freeze-thaw (FT) environment. It investigates the evolution process of FT damage on the physical properties of the second-generation CRA. The results show that the physical properties of the second-generation CRA deteriorate with the accumulation of FT damage, limiting its application in structural concrete.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Miras Mamirov, Jiong Hu, Tara Cavalline
Summary: Recycling offers benefits in minimizing waste, but the use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is limited due to the absence of effective characterization. This study aims to develop a testing protocol to characterize RCA and has achieved a better understanding of its properties. The success of the study will encourage the use of RCA in concrete production.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Chenyu Ye, Lin Li, Runying Zhao, Xinrui Luo, Xiaodong Wang, Jipeng Wang, Guo Chen, Ningfei Lei, Xiangjun Pei, Xiaolu Tang
Summary: Grassland degradation has led to a reduction in soil organic carbon (SOC), but vegetation restoration can improve SOC in degraded grasslands. However, the long-term sustainability of these restoration outcomes is still unclear.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Dayun Zhu, Qian Yang, Yingshan Zhao, Zhen Cao, Yurong Han, Ronghan Li, Ju Ni, Zhigao Wu
Summary: Surface vegetation plays an important role in soil aggregate stability, which is a critical indicator of soil quality. However, there is limited research on the relationship between soil aggregate stability indicators and organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus content in different vegetation patterns in rocky desertification fragile ecological areas. This study collected soil samples from three artificial vegetation restoration measures and one traditional farmland control in order to examine the effects of different vegetation restoration models on soil aggregate stability and aggregate-related nutrient content in karst rocky desertification areas in southwest China. The results showed that artificial afforestation increased the content of large macroaggregates and decreased microaggregates and silt+clay, leading to improved soil aggregate stability and reduced soil fragmentation and erodibility. Afforestation restoration also increased the content of soil aggregate-related organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. It was found that soil aggregate stability indicators are significantly influenced by the particle size distribution of soil aggregates, and changes in the soil aggregate particle size affect soil nutrient accumulation and soil erodibility.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jinjin Xiao, Xia Wang, Yunfei Zhao, Jia Li, Jiakai Tang, Kaichang Wang, Zhiguo Hao, Silong Jiang, Xiaohe Zhou, Huiying Liu
Summary: This study investigates the stability of soil organic carbon and its influencing factors under different vegetation restoration modes. The results show that natural grassland soil has the highest content of stable organic carbon and the greatest carbon sequestration potential. On the other hand, olive grove soil has the highest content of unstable polysaccharides, leading to the least accumulation of organic carbon. These findings are highly relevant for regional policies promoting vegetation restoration and restoring ecosystem function in vulnerable areas.
JOURNAL OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Wei Zhou, Xiangyang Sun, Suyan Li, Tiantian Du, Yi Zheng, Zhihui Fan
Summary: This study found that wood chips + wood compost can increase the proportion of large and small macroaggregates in soil, as well as the mean weight diameter and geometric mean diameter.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Bo Liu, Haoming Fan, Yu Jiang, Renming Ma
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of freeze-thaw action on soil macropore and macro-aggregate characteristics using X-ray computer tomography and dry sieving. The results showed that freeze-thaw effects increased the total image porosity, mean pore diameter, porosity with branches, and connectivity density. However, the total number of pores displayed a first increase - then decrease trend. The increase in macroporosity and pore branches easily induced the breakdown of macro-aggregates.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Fuyuan Gong, Zhao Wang, Liu Yang, Yingjie Ning, Tamon Ueda
Summary: Freeze-thaw modification can effectively remove attached mortar from recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), promoting the use of eco-friendly materials. This paper presents a mesoscale analysis of mortar deterioration during freeze-thaw modification of RCA, modeling pore size distribution, pore pressure induced by ice formation, and meso-scale constitutive laws. The deformation and mechanical behaviors during freeze-thaw cycling, as well as the crack patterns, are simulated with different types of RCA. Experiment results are also used to show the effectiveness of freeze-thaw modification. An empirical model is developed to calculate the deteriorated mechanical properties of RCA based on the numerical analysis.
JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE CEMENT-BASED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Zhenhai Liu, Bin Chen, Shaoqiang Wang, Qinyi Wang, Jinghua Chen, Weibo Shi, Xiaobo Wang, Yuanyuan Liu, Yongkai Tu, Mei Huang, Junbang Wang, Zhaosheng Wang, Hui Li, Tongtong Zhu
Summary: This study improved the hydrothermal module of an ecosystem simulator in the permafrost region and found that vegetation structure has a significant impact on soil FT processes, with differences in soil FT processes between forest and grassland sites.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Mustafa Eken
Summary: This study investigated the possibility of using basalt, diabase, and andesite natural stones as substitutes for virgin fine aggregates in concrete. The addition of these stones significantly improved the strength, durability, and water absorption rates of the concrete samples. The compressive strengths of the samples with stone additives were significantly higher than the control sample, both in normal and challenging conditions such as freeze-thaw cycles and sulfate exposure.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Shi-Yi Wang, Chen Zhang, Qiao-Quan Liu, Zhi-Juan Wang, Ke-Xing Wan, Jian-Ya Qian, Liang Zhang, Chunsen Wu, Qian Li
Summary: Critical melting pretreatment and freeze-thawing treatment were used to modify the structure of potato starch. The pretreatment induced granular swelling and disruption of crystalline structure, resulting in increased viscosity and decreased breakdown. Soluble starch released during the treatments tended to reassociate, improving thermal stability and water and oil absorption of the starch.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tian Wang, Jingsi Li, Jingming Hou, Peng Li, Shengdong Cheng, Feng Wang, Wen Wang, Zhanbin Li, Reinhard Hinkelmann
Summary: A reliable sediment transport capacity function is developed for soil erosion prediction on the Loess Plateau of China, as the popular sediment transport capacity functions are questionable on loess slopes due to experimental conditions differences. A flume experiment was conducted to develop a suitable sediment transport capacity function, and the Govers (1990) function showed the best performance in the applicability evaluation. By introducing the cohesive sediment incipient motion velocity and determining the sediment particle parameter, the developed equation has a good performance with predicted values corresponding to measured values.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEDIMENT RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Ying Liu, Peng Li, Yunxia Wang, Xiaoyang Xu
Summary: This study investigated the carbon and water coupling in different organs of a grassland plant under drought stress. The results showed that the plant responded to mild drought by increasing topsoil root density to absorb soil water and improve the water transfer ratio to the aboveground portion. Moreover, under mild drought, the plant exhibited a trade-off between increasing root carbon and water utilization and reducing old leaf and stem carbon and water utilization.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Lie Xiao, Xuxu Min, Guobin Liu, Peng Li, Sha Xue
Summary: This study found that plant-plant interactions, drought stress, and sampling year significantly influenced nutrient contents and enzyme activities in the rhizosphere soil. The duration of plant-plant interactions had a significant impact on carbon flows and nutrient cycling in plant-soil systems. Drought stress increased microbial carbon and phosphorus limitation, but these limitations showed a decreasing trend in the second year.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qianzhuo Zhao, Peng Shi, Peng Li, Zhanbin Li, Zhiqiang Min, Jingmei Sun, Lingzhou Cui, Hongbo Niu, Pengju Zu, Manhong Cao
Summary: Vegetation restoration is an effective way to increase soil organic carbon (SOC). This study conducted a meta-analysis of 520 sample data and found that vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau significantly increased SOC by 29.40%. Restoration time was the most important factor affecting SOC after revegetation.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Peng Shi, Lulu Bai, Zhun Zhao, Jingbing Dong, Zhanbin Li, Zhiqiang Min, Lingzhou Cui, Peng Li
Summary: The distribution of vegetation has an impact on soil carbon loss. It is suggested to restore vegetation in the down-slope area to reduce runoff, sediment, and soil carbon losses.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lulu Bai, Peng Shi, Zhanbin Li, Peng Li, Zhun Zhao, Jingbin Dong, Lingzhou Cui, Hongbo Niu, Pengju Zu, Manhong Cao
Summary: Restoring vegetation and constructing check dams play important roles in controlling water erosion in slope-gully systems. This study investigates the synergistic effects of vegetation patterns and siltation-induced runoff path length decrease (RPLD) on reducing water erosion. The results show that combined measures have a greater reduction in soil and water loss compared to a single measure. Revegetation of the lower parts of the slope, along with check dams, is more effective in controlling soil erosion.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yixin Zhang, Peng Li, Guoce Xu, Zhiqiang Min, Qingshun Li, Zhanbin Li, Bin Wang, Yiting Chen
Summary: This study analyzed the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of four types of extreme precipitation (front extreme precipitation, late extreme precipitation, balanced extreme precipitation, and single day extreme precipitation) in the Loess Plateau region from 1960 to 2019. The findings showed that single day extreme precipitation accounted for 34% of the total extreme precipitation and dominated the region, while balanced extreme precipitation associated with preceding and succeeding precipitation accounted for 66%. Furthermore, global warming could lead to an increase in single day extreme precipitation and changes in the distribution of continuous extreme precipitation in the future. The concept of process-oriented extreme precipitation could facilitate the understanding of disaster-causing processes and the construction of disaster characteristics.
JOURNAL OF ARID LAND
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Binhua Zhao, Zeyu Ma, Peng Li, Yaotao Xu, Guojun Zhang, Wentao Ma, Zhengyan Ren
Summary: The drivers and spatial distribution trends for net primary productivity (NPP) in Ningxia were studied to determine priority vegetation restoration areas. The NPP showed a positive fluctuation from 2000 to 2020, with a more obvious divergent spatial distribution. Future NPP trends in Ningxia are expected to vary, with different scenarios of continuous increase, continuous decrease, change from increase to decrease, and change from decrease to increase.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Binhua Zhao, Tao Xin, Peng Li, Fangming Ma, Bei Gao, Rong Fan
Summary: This study assesses the influence of the check dam system on sub-storm floods in a typical governance watershed of the Loess Plateau. It finds that the check dam system significantly reduces flood peak flow and volume while increasing flood duration. The reduction rate of peak flow, volume, and the increase rate of duration all increase linearly with the number of check dams. The check dams also decrease the flow rate, velocity, and erosion intensity, with greater impact on shorter return periods.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lu Jia, Kunxia Yu, Zhanbin Li, Zongping Ren, Hongtao Li, Peng Li
Summary: Global vegetation cover has significantly changed due to vegetation restoration projects in China, especially in the Loess Plateau. This study focuses on the Pisha Sandstone area and examines the spatiotemporal changes in vegetation coverage using statistical analysis methods. The study reveals the impact of topographical and climatic factors on vegetation coverage and highlights the importance of precipitation and specific elevation and slope ranges in promoting vegetation growth. The findings emphasize the need for ecological restoration measures, such as land conversion and tree species selection, in the Pisha Sandstone area.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Binhua Zhao, Jianchun Han, Peng Li, Hongtao Li, Yangfan Feng, Bingze Hu, Guojun Zhang, Jie Li
Summary: This study examines the changes in the ecological environment quality in Guyuan City between 2000 and 2019 using Landsat imagery and the remote sensing ecological environment index (RSEI). It finds a significant reduction in areas with poor-quality ecological environment and an increase in excellent ecological environment management, particularly in eastern Guyuan City. The distribution of low-value areas of the RSEI index shifted from eastern counties to western areas, showing a significant change from high-cluster to significantly discrete distribution. Topography, climate, and human factors such as land use were found to affect the ecological environment quality. This research provides regional guidance for future sustainable development in the Yellow River Basin.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoping Liu, Shengdong Cheng, Ziyao Miao, Zhanbin Li, Peng Li, Tong Liu, Hegang Zhi, Shen Zhang, Yifan Wang, Xing Zheng
Summary: Hongjiannao is the largest inland lake in China's deserts, but its water quality and area have been declining due to economic development in the Hongjiannao basin. A study was conducted from 2013 to 2020 to analyze the coupling relationship between water quality and economic development, showing that water pollution varied with seasons and the worst water quality occurred in the summer. The coordination between water quality and economic development gradually improved over the years, but the issue of lagging water quality still persisted. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the water environment and address water scarcity in Hongjiannao to achieve coordinated and sustainable development.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoping Liu, Shengdong Cheng, Zhanbin Li, Peng Li, Tian Wang, Xingyue Guo, Ziyao Miao, Naichang Zhang, Yongxiang Cao
Summary: This study analyzes the evolutionary characteristics of sewage treatment carbon emissions and their coupling relationship with economic development in an energy and chemical industry park. The results show that sewage treatment carbon emissions have been increasing year by year, with indirect carbon emissions dominating. The coupling relationship between sewage treatment carbon emissions and the economy has transformed from serious imbalance to lagging economic development. The coordinated development degree between the two systems has gradually increased, forming a beneficial mutual feedback mechanism. However, regional economic development has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need to accelerate economic development while protecting the environment.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xingyue Guo, Tian Wang, Zhanbin Li, Shengdong Cheng, Peng Li, Hongtao Li, Naichang Zhang, Xiaoping Liu, Ziyao Miao
Summary: This study investigates the spatial and temporal variations in vegetation in the Jialing River Basin from 2000 to 2020 and analyzes the direct and indirect effects of surface, human activities, and climate factors on vegetation growth using PLS-SEMs models. The results show that the vegetation center gradually migrates northwards, surface factors have a direct and positive impact on the NDVI, human activities have a direct and negative impact, and climate factors have a mainly positive impact. The research provides a theoretical basis for future ecological restoration projects and the construction of ecological civilizations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zixuan Yan, Peng Li, Zhanbin Li, Yaotao Xu, Chenxu Zhao, Zhiwei Cui
Summary: This research focuses on the Weihe River Basin and explores the impact of land use and slope on basin water quality. The results indicate a strong correlation between water quality and land use, with the riparian scale being the best spatial scale model. Multiple time and spatial scales are important to reveal the complex relationship between land use and water quality. Watershed water quality management should incorporate multi-scale landscape planning measures.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)