Water erosion changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its response to climate variability and human activities during 1982–2015

Climate variability and human activities cause changes in precipitation and underlying surface conditions, which are the main driving forces of changes in water erosion, especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). In this paper, the water erosion on the QTP from 1982 to 2015 was quantified by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), and the response of water erosion changes to climate variability and human activities was investigated. The results indicated that the distribution of water erosion gradually decreased from south to north during 1982–2015. Areas of severe erosion were mainly distributed along the Yarlung Tsangpo River and in the western Hengduan Mountains. The years of the abrupt change in water erosion were 1989 and 2006. Compared to 1982–1989, the amount of water erosion was mitigated in both 1990–2006 and 2007–2015, with a 19.5% and 6.2% decrease, respectively. The contribution of human activities to the decrease in water erosion was 25.4% and 16.7% for each of these periods, respectively, and the contribution of climate variability to the increase in water erosion was 5.9% and 10.5%. However, water erosion increased by 16.5% from 2007 to 2015 compared to 1990–2006. The contribution of climate variability was 4.9% and the contribution of human activities 8.4%. The increase in water erosion due to human activities may be attributed to the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and associated human activities. It is therefore important to draw attention to the influence of human activities on the QTP on erosion, to prevent potential future risks. This study is the first attempt to research the relative contributions of variation in climate and human activities to changes in water erosion on the QTP. It would be beneficial for carrying out ecological environmental protection work on the QTP.