Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-222
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-222
03 Jun 2025
 | 03 Jun 2025
Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESSD.

Remapping Carbon Storage Change in Retired Farmlands on the Loess Plateau in China from 2000 to 2021 in High Spatiotemporal Resolution

Bingqian Guo, Mingjie Fang, Leilei Yang, Tao Guo, Chuang Ma, Xiangyun Hu, Zhaoxiang Guo, Zemeng Ma, Qiang Li, Zhaoli Wang, and Weiguo Liu

Abstract. The soil organic carbon pool is a crucial component of carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems, playing a key role in regulating the carbon cycle and mitigating atmospheric CO2 concentration increases. To combat soil degradation and enhance soil organic carbon sequestration on the Loess Plateau, the Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) has been implemented. Accurately quantifying carbon capture and storage (CCS) resulting from farmland retirement is essential for informing land use management. In this study, the spatial and temporal distribution of retired farmlands on the Loess Plateau was analyzed using Landsat imagery from 1999 to 2021. To assess the effects of the length of farmland retirement, climate, soil properties, elevation, and other factors on CCS, climate-zone-specific linear regression models were developed based on field-sampled soil data. These models were then used to map the dataset of CCS across the retired farmlands. Results indicate that a total of 39,065 km2 of farmland was retired over the past two decades, with 45.61 % converted to grasslands, 29.75 % to shrublands, and 24.64 % to forestlands. The length of farmland retirement showed a significant positive correlation with CCS, and distinct models were developed for different climatic zones to achieve high-resolution (30 m) CCS mapping. The total CCS from retired farmland on the Loess Plateau was estimated at 21.77 Tg in carbon equivalent according to the dataset, with grasslands contributing 81.10 %, followed by forestlands (11.16 %) and shrublands (7.74 %).

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
Share
Bingqian Guo, Mingjie Fang, Leilei Yang, Tao Guo, Chuang Ma, Xiangyun Hu, Zhaoxiang Guo, Zemeng Ma, Qiang Li, Zhaoli Wang, and Weiguo Liu

Status: open (until 10 Jul 2025)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
Bingqian Guo, Mingjie Fang, Leilei Yang, Tao Guo, Chuang Ma, Xiangyun Hu, Zhaoxiang Guo, Zemeng Ma, Qiang Li, Zhaoli Wang, and Weiguo Liu

Data sets

The 30-meter resolution distribution of retired farmlands and their carbon sequestration on the Loess Plateau in China from 2000 to 2021 Leilei Yang https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28785971

Bingqian Guo, Mingjie Fang, Leilei Yang, Tao Guo, Chuang Ma, Xiangyun Hu, Zhaoxiang Guo, Zemeng Ma, Qiang Li, Zhaoli Wang, and Weiguo Liu

Viewed

Total article views: 26 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total Supplement BibTeX EndNote
24 2 0 26 0 0 0
  • HTML: 24
  • PDF: 2
  • XML: 0
  • Total: 26
  • Supplement: 0
  • BibTeX: 0
  • EndNote: 0
Views and downloads (calculated since 03 Jun 2025)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 03 Jun 2025)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 26 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 26 with geography defined and 0 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 04 Jun 2025
Download
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.
Share
Altmetrics