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Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2024, Vol. 16 Issue (6): 834-851    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-024-0100-5
Research article     
Characterization of alpine meadow surface crack and its correlation with root-soil properties
WU Yuechen1, ZHU Haili1,2,*(), ZHANG Yu3, ZHANG Hailong1, LIU Guosong1, LIU Yabin1,2, LI Guorong1,2, HU Xiasong1,2
1School of Geological Engineering, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
2Key Laboratory of the Cenozoic Resources and Environment on the North Rim of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Xining 810016, China
3Qinghai Provincial Transportation Planning and Design Research Institute Co. Ltd., Xining 810002, China
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Abstract  

Quantifying surface cracks in alpine meadows is a prerequisite and a key aspect in the study of grassland crack development. Crack characterization indices are crucial for the quantitative characterization of complex cracks, serving as vital factors in assessing the degree of cracking and the development morphology. So far, research on evaluating the degree of grassland degradation through crack characterization indices is rare, especially the quantitative analysis of the development of surface cracks in alpine meadows is relatively scarce. Therefore, based on the phenomenon of surface cracking during the degradation of alpine meadows in some regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we selected the alpine meadow in the Huangcheng Mongolian Township, Menyuan Hui Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, China as the study area, used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sensing technology to acquire low-altitude images of alpine meadow surface cracks at different degrees of degradation (light, medium, and heavy degradation), and analyzed the representative metrics characterizing the degree of crack development by interpreting the crack length, length density, branch angle, and burrow (rat hole) distribution density and combining them with in situ crack width and depth measurements. Finally, the correlations between the crack characterization indices and the soil and root parameters of sample plots at different degrees of degradation in the study area were analyzed using the grey relation analysis. The results revealed that with the increase of degradation, the physical and chemical properties of soil and the mechanical properties of root-soil composite changed significantly, the vegetation coverage reduced, and the root system aggregated in the surface layer of alpine meadow. As the degree of degradation increased, the fracture morphology developed from "linear" to "dendritic", and eventually to a complex and irregular "polygonal" pattern. The crack length, width, depth, and length density were identified as the crack characterization indices via analysis of variance. The results of grey relation analysis also revealed that the crack length, width, depth, and length density were all highly correlated with root length density, and as the degradation of alpine meadows intensified, the underground biomass increased dramatically, forming a dense layer of grass felt, which has a significant impact on the formation and expansion of cracks.

Key words： alpine meadow      grassland degradation      grassland cracks      crack characterization index      crack morphology      root length density      grey relation analysis     
Received: 03 February 2024      Published: 30 June 2024
Corresponding Authors: *ZHU Haili (E-mail: qdzhuhaili@163.com)
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WU Yuechen
ZHU Haili
ZHANG Yu
ZHANG Hailong
LIU Guosong
LIU Yabin
LI Guorong
HU Xiasong
Cite this article:

WU Yuechen, ZHU Haili, ZHANG Yu, ZHANG Hailong, LIU Guosong, LIU Yabin, LI Guorong, HU Xiasong. Characterization of alpine meadow surface crack and its correlation with root-soil properties. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(6): 834-851.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-024-0100-5     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2024/V16/I6/834

Fig. 1 Location of the study area in Huangcheng Mongolian Township, Menyuan Hui Autonomous County. DEM, digital elevation model.
Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of large-scale and small-scale sample plots (a) and sampling position (b)
Fig. 3 Digital orthophoto maps (DOM) of large-scale alpine meadow sample plot. (a), light degradation (LD) sample plot; (b), moderate degradation (MD) sample plot; (c), heavy degradation (HD) sample plot.
Sample plot Sampling position Layer depth (cm) Soil moisture content (%) Soil density (g/cm3) Soil compactness (kPa) Fine grain content (%) Organic matter content (g/kg)
LD Crack location 0-10 42.84 1.06 426.30 11.19 151.50
10-20 35.00 1.20 306.82 10.23 111.25
20-30 28.95 1.08 325.78 9.16 98.31
Crack elevation location 0-10 38.66 0.98 970.99 7.93 130.05
10-20 28.66 1.18 574.55 13.36 100.07
20-30 25.13 1.14 612.46 14.95 92.64
MD Crack location 0-10 46.73 0.85 589.50 7.67 209.65
10-20 37.70 1.31 413.69 12.63 106.41
20-30 35.66 1.20 465.40 13.04 72.08
Crack elevation location 0-10 43.14 0.98 1299.64 14.19 145.71
10-20 32.91 1.20 772.21 15.72 86.65
20-30 29.63 1.03 730.84 12.85 67.56
HD Crack location 0-10 62.65 0.90 405.60 10.11 170.34
10-20 48.78 1.23 275.79 18.98 104.74
20-30 44.75 1.18 234.42 17.58 99.79
Crack elevation location 0-10 61.09 1.00 973.33 8.69 126.90
10-20 47.06 1.38 417.73 22.84 105.72
20-30 37.39 1.16 391.83 12.55 70.60
Table 1 Soil characteristics of the three alpine meadow sample plots at different degrees of degradation
Sample plot Total vegetation coverage (%) Number of families Number of species Coverage of Cyperaceae and Gramineae plants (%) Dominant plant species
LD 92.00-100.00 8 18 63.00 Kobresia pygmaca, Elymus nutans, Stipa capillata, and Oxytropis kansuensis
MD 75.00-88.00 8 14 41.00 Kobresia pygmaca, Kobresia humilis, Anaphalis hancockii, and Gentiana macrophylla
HD 50.00-65.00 6 10 26.00 Kobresia humilis, Stipa capillata, Saussurea pulchra, and Leontopodium leontopodioides
Table 2 Vegetation species and coverage in the three sample plots at different degrees of degradation
Fig. 4 Root-soil ratio (a), root volume ratio (b), and root length density (c) at different soil depth layers in the three alpine meadow sample plots at different degrees of degradation. C, crack location; E, crack elevation location.
Fig. 5 Fracture morphology in alpine meadows. (a), linear fracture; (b), dendritic fracture; (c) polygonal fracture; (d), rat hole and surrounding bare ground.
Fracture characterization parameter Alpine meadow sample plot at different degrees of degradation
LD MD HD
Crack length (m) 2.22±1.63a 2.26±1.89a 1.66±1.24b
Crack width (cm) 13.11±6.12a 10.40±6.49b 8.10±3.55c
Crack depth (cm) 3.99±1.20b 4.88±1.73a 5.40±1.84a
Crack length density (m/m2) 0.20 0.22 0.27
Burrow distribution density (number/m2) 0.002 0.061 0.231
Crack branch angle (°) 30-110 50-100 30-70
Fracture morphology Linear type Dendritic type Polygonal type
Table 3 Statistic result of fracture characterization parameter in the three alpine meadow sample plots at different degrees of degradation
Reference factor Sampling position Comparative factor
Soil physical property Soil mechanical property Soil chemical property Root parameter
Soil moisture content Soil density Fine grain content Soil compactness Organic matter content Root-soil ratio Root volume ratio Root length density
Crack length Crack location 0.56 0.74 0.68 0.61 0.61 0.72 0.80 0.82
Crack elevation location 0.62 0.76 0.62 0.70 0.50 0.83 0.83 0.89
Crack width Crack location 0.74 0.65 0.62 0.69 0.67 0.61 0.66 0.72
Crack elevation location 0.78 0.78 0.72 0.63 0.64 0.80 0.80 0.87
Crack depth Crack location 0.76 0.72 0.67 0.69 0.66 0.66 0.72 0.78
Crack elevation location 0.72 0.79 0.69 0.65 0.63 0.81 0.82 0.88
Crack length density Crack location 0.74 0.69 0.62 0.67 0.66 0.62 0.68 0.72
Crack elevation location 0.74 0.82 0.68 0.65 0.61 0.81 0.81 0.88
Table 4 Correlation between basic characteristics of vegetation and soil and crack characterization indices
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