Solar power generation on the Loess Plateau

What is the warming rate on the Loess Plateau?

The warming rate on the Loess Plateau is 30% higher than the average warming rate in China. The threshold level of vegetation coverage on the Loess Plateau ranges between 53% and 65%. Vegetation cover on the Loess Plateau has increased to the upper limit of the threshold level.

Does the Loess Plateau have a drought trend?

These downward trends were more severe in the northern catchments than in the southern catchments. Generally speaking, the Loess Plateau has experienced a drying trend in both meteorological and hydrological droughts over the period 1961–2013, with hydrological drought being more severe than meteorological drought at various assessment time scales.

How much vegetation does the Loess Plateau have?

The vegetation cover was 53% in 2012, comparable to the historical maximum recorded during the Xia Dynasty. However, the vegetation cover has tended to decline since 2019 (64.98%), indicating that 53–65% is the sustainable threshold interval of vegetation on the Loess Plateau.

Why is the Loess Plateau a pilot region?

The Chinese Loess Plateau is well-known for its severe soil erosion due to its sparse vegetation cover , , making it the pilot region of the GGP. The primary goal of GGP in the Loess Plateau is to convert the cultivated land on steep slopes (mostly above 15° or more) to forest or grassland to alleviate soil erosion , .

Is vegetation growth associated with climatic factors in the Loess Plateau?

In the recent conflict-free decades, vegetation growth on the Loess Plateau has been closely associated with climatic factors (Fig. 7); vegetation cover has been significantly and positively correlated with rainfall and temperature but negatively correlated with evaporation, wind speed (Fig. 7, top), and sediment load in the Yellow River (Fig. S4).

What are the land cover trends on the Loess Plateau?

The area trends for each class of these different land cover datasets on the Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2020 are shown in Fig. 4. Generally, the area of cropland shows a decreasing trend; the area of woodland and grassland shows an increasing trend; and the area of built-up land increases rapidly.