An increase in wind erosion dominated by wind speed changes over the Tibetan Plateau from 1982 to 2020

Soil wind erosion is a primary cause of land degradation, which exerts profound adverse impacts on agricultural productivity. Because of limited observations, the long-term variability of wind erosion and its potential causes remain largely unknown for high-elevation areas, e.g., the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we apply the Revised Wind Erosion Equation Model (RWEQ) to simulate the variability of wind erosion and to quantify the impact of changes in wind speed, soil moisture and vegetation cover on soil degradation dynamics over the Tibetan Plateau from 1982 to 2020. Results show a non-significant positive trend (0.399 t ha^-1 dec^-1, p = 0.84) for the annual soil loss from wind erosion. The overall trend displays a noticeable latitudinal gradient, with an increase in the northern and northwestern regions and a decrease in the southern and southwestern regions. From 1983 to 2020, the total annual soil loss from wind erosion increased by 259.86 t ha^-1 compared to 1982. By exploring contribution of different factors on wind erosion, changes in wind speed and soil moisture have increased annual soil loss from wind erosion by 72.4 % and 3.7 %, respectively, during the study period. In contrast, vegetation cover has reduced annual soil loss from wind erosion by 35.8 %. In summary, this study highlights the dominant influence of wind speed on soil loss from wind erosion in the Tibetan Plateau, with important implications for understanding and mitigating soil degradation due to wind erosion.