title: Agriculture intensifies soil moisture decline in Northern China.
abstract: Northern China is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Agricultural activities have intensified since the 1980s to provide food security to the country. However, this intensification has likely contributed to an increasing scarcity in water resources, which may in turn be endangering food security. Based on in-situ measurements of soil moisture collected in agricultural plots during 1983-2012, we find that topsoil (0-50 cm) volumetric water content during the growing season has declined significantly (p < 0.01), with a trend of -0.011 to -0.015 m(3) m(-3) per decade. Observed discharge declines for the three large river basins are consistent with the effects of agricultural intensification, although other factors (e.g. dam constructions) likely have contributed to these trends. Practices like fertilizer application have favoured biomass growth and increased transpiration rates, thus reducing available soil water. In addition, the rapid proliferation of water-expensive crops (e.g., maize) and the expansion of the area dedicated to food production have also contributed to soil drying. Adoption of alternative agricultural practices that can meet the immediate food demand without compromising future water resources seem critical for the sustainability of the food production system.
authors.affiliation: 1] College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China [2] Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA [3] Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Joint Global Change Research Institute, College Park, Maryland, 20740, USA.
authors.forename: Yaling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA [2] Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Qianlai
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Earth Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands [2] Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Management, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Diego G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Miralles
authors.affiliation: Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group, Wageningen University, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Adriaan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Teuling
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Tonglin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Pingli
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Jingting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Resources &Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Xuebiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: China Center for Urban Development, Beijing, 100045, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA [2] Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Dev
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niyogi
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development*; D005308:Fertilizers; D012621:Seasons; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water