Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water Storage
Abstract Large‐scale ecological restoration (ER) in semiarid regions is often associated with substantial terrestrial water storage (TWS) depletion. This study challenged previous estimates by demonstrating the critical importance of considering other human activities when assessing ER impacts on TW...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111669 |
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| _version_ | 1850136338799525888 |
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| author | Xiaofan Shen Liantao Niu Xiaoxu Jia Ting Yang Wei Hu Chaoyang Wu Jiangdong Chu Asim Biswas Ming'an Shao |
| author_facet | Xiaofan Shen Liantao Niu Xiaoxu Jia Ting Yang Wei Hu Chaoyang Wu Jiangdong Chu Asim Biswas Ming'an Shao |
| author_sort | Xiaofan Shen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Large‐scale ecological restoration (ER) in semiarid regions is often associated with substantial terrestrial water storage (TWS) depletion. This study challenged previous estimates by demonstrating the critical importance of considering other human activities when assessing ER impacts on TWS. Using a novel analytical framework integrating GRACE satellite data and ground observations, we analyzed TWS changes in China's Mu Us Sandyland under two scenarios: with and without considering mining and farming activities. Our results show that ER consumed TWS at an average rate of 11.7 ± 12.2 mm yr−1 from 2003 to 2022. Neglecting the impacts of mining and farming led to a 251% overestimation of ER's effect on TWS. This study provided a more nuanced understanding of water resource dynamics in restored ecosystems, emphasizing the need for comprehensive approaches in TWS assessments and informing sustainable land management strategies globally. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c0943959e17a4501acbf06515e533e31 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-c0943959e17a4501acbf06515e533e312025-08-20T02:31:09ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-02-01524n/an/a10.1029/2024GL111669Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water StorageXiaofan Shen0Liantao Niu1Xiaoxu Jia2Ting Yang3Wei Hu4Chaoyang Wu5Jiangdong Chu6Asim Biswas7Ming'an Shao8Modern Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaModern Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaModern Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System Guangzhou Institute of Geography Guangdong Academy of Sciences Guangzhou ChinaThe New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited Christchurch New ZealandCollege of Resources and Environment University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaCollege of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering Northwest A&F University Yangling ChinaSchool of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph Guelph ON CanadaModern Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaAbstract Large‐scale ecological restoration (ER) in semiarid regions is often associated with substantial terrestrial water storage (TWS) depletion. This study challenged previous estimates by demonstrating the critical importance of considering other human activities when assessing ER impacts on TWS. Using a novel analytical framework integrating GRACE satellite data and ground observations, we analyzed TWS changes in China's Mu Us Sandyland under two scenarios: with and without considering mining and farming activities. Our results show that ER consumed TWS at an average rate of 11.7 ± 12.2 mm yr−1 from 2003 to 2022. Neglecting the impacts of mining and farming led to a 251% overestimation of ER's effect on TWS. This study provided a more nuanced understanding of water resource dynamics in restored ecosystems, emphasizing the need for comprehensive approaches in TWS assessments and informing sustainable land management strategies globally.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111669 |
| spellingShingle | Xiaofan Shen Liantao Niu Xiaoxu Jia Ting Yang Wei Hu Chaoyang Wu Jiangdong Chu Asim Biswas Ming'an Shao Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water Storage Geophysical Research Letters |
| title | Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water Storage |
| title_full | Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water Storage |
| title_fullStr | Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water Storage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water Storage |
| title_short | Disentangling Ecological Restoration's Impact on Terrestrial Water Storage |
| title_sort | disentangling ecological restoration s impact on terrestrial water storage |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111669 |
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