Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in China

Study region: The karst plateau region in Southwest China. Study focus: Global warming has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, exacerbating soil erosion. Traditional assessment methods using daily, monthly, or annual data struggle to capture individual rainfall impacts,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Youjin Yan, Xin Wang, Zeyin Hu, Xiaojin Xu, Quanhou Dai, Lina Mei, Fengling Gan, Huifang Jin, Liangjie Wang, Chenyang Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221458182500415X
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849469514062757888
author Youjin Yan
Xin Wang
Zeyin Hu
Xiaojin Xu
Quanhou Dai
Lina Mei
Fengling Gan
Huifang Jin
Liangjie Wang
Chenyang Huang
author_facet Youjin Yan
Xin Wang
Zeyin Hu
Xiaojin Xu
Quanhou Dai
Lina Mei
Fengling Gan
Huifang Jin
Liangjie Wang
Chenyang Huang
author_sort Youjin Yan
collection DOAJ
description Study region: The karst plateau region in Southwest China. Study focus: Global warming has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, exacerbating soil erosion. Traditional assessment methods using daily, monthly, or annual data struggle to capture individual rainfall impacts, especially in regions with frequent extreme rainfall due to global warming. This study used high-resolution satellite data to analyze extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity in karst plateau areas. New hydrological insights for the region: The results indicate that sub-hourly rainfall scales accurately reflect the temporal dynamics of rainfall events. In the study area, 95 % of the events fell below the critical soil erosion threshold (30 mm·h−1), suggesting that traditional cumulative rainfall scales may overestimate erosivity compared to the impact of high-intensity, short-duration events captured at the sub-hourly level. High-erosivity regions have experienced decelerating increases, whereas low-erosivity regions have seen significant rises. After 2014, the annual maximum rainfall erosivity shifted from a significant decreasing trend to an increasing state accompanied by a shortening peak periodicity. Maximum annual rainfall erosivity occurs in spring (May), while the erosive rainfall events in winter are increasing in intensity. Consequently, low-erosivity regions and winter rainfall events pose a rising risk of soil erosion. This study provides a scientific basis for targeted erosion control measures, emphasizing the need for enhanced monitoring, early warning systems, and soil and water conservation to effectively address the challenges posed by rainfall erosion.
format Article
id doaj-art-7bdfae073e1a4c5197580b6f7dd24a5e
institution Kabale University
issn 2214-5818
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
spelling doaj-art-7bdfae073e1a4c5197580b6f7dd24a5e2025-08-20T03:25:27ZengElsevierJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies2214-58182025-08-016010259010.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102590Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in ChinaYoujin Yan0Xin Wang1Zeyin Hu2Xiaojin Xu3Quanhou Dai4Lina Mei5Fengling Gan6Huifang Jin7Liangjie Wang8Chenyang Huang9Co-Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Institute of Ecological Civilization Construction and Forestry Development, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; Corresponding authors.Co-Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Institute of Ecological Civilization Construction and Forestry Development, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaInstitute of Soil Erosion and Ecological Restoration, College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, ChinaInstitute of Soil Erosion and Ecological Restoration, College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Corresponding authors.Co-Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Institute of Ecological Civilization Construction and Forestry Development, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaInstitute of Soil Erosion and Ecological Restoration, College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Surface Process and Environment Remote Sensing in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, School of Geography and Tourism Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Institute of Ecological Civilization Construction and Forestry Development, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaCo-Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Institute of Ecological Civilization Construction and Forestry Development, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, ChinaStudy region: The karst plateau region in Southwest China. Study focus: Global warming has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, exacerbating soil erosion. Traditional assessment methods using daily, monthly, or annual data struggle to capture individual rainfall impacts, especially in regions with frequent extreme rainfall due to global warming. This study used high-resolution satellite data to analyze extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity in karst plateau areas. New hydrological insights for the region: The results indicate that sub-hourly rainfall scales accurately reflect the temporal dynamics of rainfall events. In the study area, 95 % of the events fell below the critical soil erosion threshold (30 mm·h−1), suggesting that traditional cumulative rainfall scales may overestimate erosivity compared to the impact of high-intensity, short-duration events captured at the sub-hourly level. High-erosivity regions have experienced decelerating increases, whereas low-erosivity regions have seen significant rises. After 2014, the annual maximum rainfall erosivity shifted from a significant decreasing trend to an increasing state accompanied by a shortening peak periodicity. Maximum annual rainfall erosivity occurs in spring (May), while the erosive rainfall events in winter are increasing in intensity. Consequently, low-erosivity regions and winter rainfall events pose a rising risk of soil erosion. This study provides a scientific basis for targeted erosion control measures, emphasizing the need for enhanced monitoring, early warning systems, and soil and water conservation to effectively address the challenges posed by rainfall erosion.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221458182500415XSoil erosionExtreme rainfallSub-hourly scaleRainfall erosivityEvolution trend
spellingShingle Youjin Yan
Xin Wang
Zeyin Hu
Xiaojin Xu
Quanhou Dai
Lina Mei
Fengling Gan
Huifang Jin
Liangjie Wang
Chenyang Huang
Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in China
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Soil erosion
Extreme rainfall
Sub-hourly scale
Rainfall erosivity
Evolution trend
title Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in China
title_full Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in China
title_fullStr Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in China
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in China
title_short Exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub-hourly rainfall erosivity: Insights from karst plateaus in China
title_sort exploring the spatiotemporal trends of extreme sub hourly rainfall erosivity insights from karst plateaus in china
topic Soil erosion
Extreme rainfall
Sub-hourly scale
Rainfall erosivity
Evolution trend
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221458182500415X
work_keys_str_mv AT youjinyan exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT xinwang exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT zeyinhu exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT xiaojinxu exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT quanhoudai exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT linamei exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT fenglinggan exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT huifangjin exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT liangjiewang exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina
AT chenyanghuang exploringthespatiotemporaltrendsofextremesubhourlyrainfallerosivityinsightsfromkarstplateausinchina