Objective This study clarifies the response characteristics of geomorphic erosion processes within gullies to extreme rainstorm events in the loess plateau gully erosion region and reveals the spatiotemporal dynamics of early-stage natural vegetation recovery and its response patterns to topographic factors after rainstorm disturbances, providing a scientific basis for evaluating geomorphic stability and ecological restoration potential of the Loess Plateau under extreme weather conditions. Methods Two loess plateaus, Zhongduo Tableland and Shiquan Tableland in the Loess Plateau gully erosion region in western Shanxi Province, were selected as the study areas. Focusing on the extreme rainstorm event in 2021, 13 typical gullies dissecting the plateaus were identified. Multi-temporal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) monitoring data from 2021 to 2024 were used to analyze the dynamic changes in bare soil area and the recovery processes of fractional vegetation cover (FVC) within the gullies. The impact of topographic factors on the gully internal erosion and vegetation recovery processes was quantitatively analyzed. Results The extreme rainstorms induced severe erosion within gullies, with newly exposed bare soil area accounting for 5.92% of the total gully area, and reaching up to 18.73% in individual gullies. Strong ecosystem recovery capacity was observed inside the gullies after the rainstorm. Three years later, only 17.68% of the newly exposed bare soil remained, and the areas with medium-to-high FVC increased to over 60%. Erosion intensity was higher on steep (35°~45°) and very steep slopes (>45°), accounting for 17.92% and 68.52% of the newly exposed bare soil, respectively. Shaded slopes suffered greater damage during the rainstorm than sunny slopes, but demonstrated stronger vegetation recovery capacity. Conclusion The internal gullies in the Loess Plateau gully erosion region responded strongly to extreme rainstorms. Rainstorms induced intense erosion, with newly exposed bare soil accounting for 5.92%, mainly distributed in the middle and lower slopes and the gully bottoms. After the rainstorm, the gully system exhibited strong natural recovery capacity, with a notable increase in medium-to-high FVC. Vegetation recovery was controlled by topographic factors: slope gradient affected recovery rates, while slope aspect resulted in pronounced spatial differentiation, with better recovery observed on shaded slopes than on sunny slopes.
搭载RTK系统的无人机在飞行拍摄中可直接进行地理定位,平面精度可保持在5~10 cm以内,为确保四期无人机正射影像的一致性,利用ArcGIS进行地理配准,通过选取道路交叉口、建筑物轮廓点等特征显著的地面控制点,将均方根误差(Root Mean Square Error, RMSE)控制在0.1 m以内,所有数据集均统一投影至UTM Zone 52 N坐标系。
PoesenJ, NachtergaeleJ, VerstraetenG, et al. Gully erosion and environmental change: Importance and research needs[J]. Catena, 2003,50(2/3/4):91-133.
[2]
JiangC, ZhangH Y, ZhangZ D, et al. Model-based assessment soil loss by wind and water erosion in China′s Loess Plateau: dynamic change, conservation effectiveness, and strategies for sustainable restoration[J]. Global and Planetary Change, 2019,172:396-413.
[3]
WangJ X, ZhangY, LiK H, et al. Gully internal erosion triggered by a prolonged heavy rainfall event in the tableland region of China′s Loess Plateau[J]. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 2023,11(4):610-621.
OuJ S, ZhangY, SunC C, et al. Gully development characteristics and their response to land use changes in Loess Plateau in the past ten years[J]. Research of Soil and Water Conservation, 2025,32(6):21-28.
ZhangY, YangS, LiZ, et al. Effect of narrow terrace on gully erosion in Northern Shaanxi Loess area[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 2015,31(7):125-130.
ZouB H, YuanJ, LiZ B, et al. Spatial characteristics of gravitational erosion in slope-gully system on Loess Plateau as controlled by check dam[J]. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 2013,33(5):55-59,86.
ChenZ X, WangW L, KangH L, et al. Gully development characteristics of the slopes for different land-use types under extreme rainstorms[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 2020,36(23):77-84.
ZhangY, GaoC Y, YangJ, et al. Estimating the gully growth rate in the hilly Loess Plateau using historical satellite images[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 2022,38(1):109-116.
[18]
ZhaoC L, JiaX X, ZhuY J, et al. Long-term temporal variations of soil water content under different vegetation types in the Loess Plateau, China[J]. Catena, 2017,158:55-62.
GaoJ L, WangJ J, BaiY, et al. The influence of the Grain for Green Project on climate change in Shaanxi Province and its driving mechanism[J]. Research of Soil and Water Conservation, 2025,32(2):150-157.
WangB, ChenL X, WuY M, et al. Impact of environmental and physiological factors during drought stress on sap flow in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations in the loess region of western Shanxi Province of northern China[J]. Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 2024,46(4):127-140.
WangW X, WangW L, GuoM M, et al. Effects of natural vegetation restoration on characteristics of soil aggregate and soil erodibility of gully heads in Gully Region of the Loess Plateau[J]. Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 2019,52(16):2845-2857.
YinL J, ZhouZ F, LiS H, et al. Research on vegetation extraction and fractional vegetation cover of karst area based on visible light image of UAV[J]. Acta Agrestia Sinica, 2020,28(6):1664-1672.
MengQ, WuZ T, DuZ Q, et al. Quantitative influence of regional fractional vegetation cover based on geodetector model: Take the Beijing-Tianjin sand source region as an example[J]. China Environmental Science, 2021,41(2):826-836.
LiuC L, ShaoM A. Spatial variation of saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil water of the surface layer of a slope on the Loess Plateau[J]. Science of Soil and Water Conservation, 2009,7(1):13-18.
ChangL J, ZhangW Y, MaY X, et al. Experimental study on strength characteristics of unsaturated loess in Qinghai area[J]. Railway Engineering, 2015,55(4):117-121.
MuX M, GuC J, SunW Y, et al. Preliminary assessment effect of vegetation restoration on runoff generation pattern of the Loess Plateau[J]. Yellow River, 2019,41(10):31-39.
GaoH, XuX Z, LiY H. Retrospective study for the role of vegetation on the gravity erosion on the Loess Plateau[J]. Science of Soil and Water Conservation, 2022,20(6):137-142.
MaoG R, ZhaoJ M, ZhuG, et al. Vegetation characteristics of herb communities on highway slopes of the Loess Plateau and their relationship with soil[J]. Arid Zone Research, 2024,41(5):788-796.
LiY, ZhangJ J, WeiG K, et al. Investigation of shallow landslide after extreme rainfall and analysis of its influencing factors in the west Shanxi loess region[J]. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2022,36(5):44-50.
[44]
LiZ Y, FangH Y. Impacts of climate change on water erosion: A review[J]. Earth-Science Reviews, 2016,163:94-117.
MaX Y, MuX M, WangS Y, et al. Effects of vegetation restoration on soil infiltration and runoff in the Gully Regions on the Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 2024,38(6):89-96,104.
XuM, ZhangJ, LiuG B, et al. Analysis on vegetation-soil coupling relationship in gullies with different vegetation restoration patterns[J]. Journal of Natural Resources, 2016,31(12):2137-2146.
GuoM M, WangW L, KangH L, et al. Effect of natural vegetation restoration age on slope soil anti-scourability in Gully Region of Loess Plateau[J]. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 2018,34(22):138-146.
WangG F. Vegetation construction technology and application effect of steep slope in loess area[J]. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 2020,40(3):243-248.