Wang et al. (2026) Vegetation restoration weakens climatic control on sediment connectivity in ecologically fragile regions

Identification

• Journal: CATENA
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-21
• Authors: Chengshu Wang, Dongli She, Xuan Huang, Qilin He, Peng Zhang, Min Du
• DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2026.110612

Research Groups

• College of Soil and Water Conservation, Hohai University (China)
• Upper and Middle Yellow River Bureau, Yellow River Conservancy Commission (China)

Short Summary

This study investigated the annual dynamics of sediment connectivity in response to changing climate and vegetation on the Loess Plateau, China. The results showed a decline in sediment connectivity due to widespread vegetation restoration.

Objective

• Investigate the long-term regulatory mechanisms of sediment connectivity under interacting climate, vegetation, and human influences in ecologically fragile regions.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: 1.30 × 105 km2 coarse sandy hilly catchment (CSHC) of the Loess Plateau.
• Temporal Scale: 1991-2023

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Bayesian-optimized XGBoost model, Structural equation modeling, Convergent cross mapping
• Data sources: Satellite data (NDVI), observation data (soil moisture, evapotranspiration), reanalysis data (precipitation)

Main Results

• Sediment connectivity declined significantly from 1991 to 2023, with a trend of −0.027 units per year.
• Vegetation restoration was identified as the primary factor affecting sediment connectivity.
• Convergent cross mapping showed that vegetation-related factors had stronger effects on sediment connectivity than precipitation.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the dynamics of sediment connectivity under interacting climate, vegetation, and human influences in ecologically fragile regions.
• The findings can inform sustainable restoration and sediment management strategies for erosion-prone areas.

Funding

• This research was funded by the Upper and Middle Yellow River Bureau, Yellow River Conservancy Commission (project code: YRC2020-01).

Citation

@article{Wang2026Vegetation,
  author = {Wang, Chengshu and She, Dongli and Huang, Xuan and He, Qilin and Zhang, Peng and Du, Min},
  title = {Vegetation restoration weakens climatic control on sediment connectivity in ecologically fragile regions},
  journal = {CATENA},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.catena.2026.110612},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110612}
}