Articles | Volume 18, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-429-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-429-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description article
| 
15 Jan 2026
Data description article |
| 15 Jan 2026
| 15 Jan 2026
Remapping carbon storage change in retired farmlands on the Loess Plateau in China from 2000–2021 in high spatiotemporal resolution
Bingqian Guo
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Mingjie Fang
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Leilei Yang
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Tao Guo
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Chuang Ma
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Xiangyun Hu
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Zhaoxiang Guo
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Zemeng Ma
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Qiang Li
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Qinling National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Zhaoli Wang
North West Inventory and Planning Institute of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Weiguo Liu
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
Qinling National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
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Short summary
Using satellite images and soil samples, we found that 39 065 km2 of farmland was retired across China’s Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2021, with nearly half converted to grasslands. Over two decades, these restored lands captured 21.77 million metric tons of carbon, Grasslands contributed over 80 % of this carbon storage, highlighting their critical role in climate mitigation.
Using satellite images and soil samples, we found that 39 065 km2 of farmland was retired across...
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