Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A spatially explicit reconstruction of cropland cover in China from 1661 to 1996

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Regional Environmental Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Reconstruction of cropland cover is crucial for assessing human impact on the environment. In this study, based on existing studies concerning historical cropland, population data and government inventories, we obtained a provincial cropland area dataset of China for 1661–1996 via collection, revision and reconstruction. Then, the provincial cropland area was allocated into grid cells of 10 × 10 km depending on the land suitability for cultivation. Our reconstruction indicates that cropland increased from ~55.5 × 104 km2 in 1661 to ~130.0 × 104 km2 in 1996. From 1661 to 1873, cropland expanded tremendously in the Sichuan Basin, and land reclamation was greatly enhanced in North China Plain. For 1873–1980, agricultural development occurred primarily in northeastern China. After 1980, most provinces in the traditionally cultivated region of China experienced decreases in cropland area. In comparison with satellite-based data for 2000, we found that our reconstruction generally captures the spatial distribution of cropland. Also, differences are mostly <20 % (−20 to 20 %). Compared with HYDE 3.1 dataset, which is designed for the global scale, our model is more suitable for reconstructing the historical crop cover of China at 10 × 10 km grid scale. Our reconstruction can be used in climate models to study the impact of crop cover change on the climate and carbon cycle.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cao S, Ge J (2001) China population history, vol V. Qing dynasties. Fudan University Press, Shanghai

    Google Scholar 

  • Crook F (1993) Underreporting of China’s cultivated land area: implications for world agricultural trade. In: China International Agricultural and Trade Report, situation outlook ser RS-93-4. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, pp 33–39

  • Department of Economic Geography in Institute of Geography of Chinese Academy of Sciences (1980) Chinese general agricultural geography. Science Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis E, Kaplan J, Fuller D, Vavrus S, Klein Goldewijk K, Verburg PH (2013) Used planet: a global history. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110:7978–7985. doi:10.1073/pnas.1217241110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feng Z, Liu B, Yang Y (2005) A study of the changing trend of chinese cultivated land amount and data reconstructing: 1949–2003. J Nat Resou 20:35–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Foley JA et al (2005) Global consequences of land use. Science 309:570–574. doi:10.1126/science.1111772

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ge Q, Dai J, He F, Zheng J, Man Z, Zhao Y (2004) Spatiotemporal dynamics of reclamation and cultivation and its driving factors in parts of China during the last three centuries. Prog Nat Sci 14:605–613. doi:10.1080/10020070412331344021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han M (2012) Historical agricultural geography of China. Peking University Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • He F, Li S, Zhang X, Ge Q, Dai J (2013) Comparisons of cropland area from multiple datasets over the past 300 years in the traditional cultivated region of China. J Geogr Sci 23:978–990. doi:10.1007/s11442-013-1057-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He F, Vavrus S, Kutzbach J, Ruddiman W, Kaplan J, Krumhardt K (2014) Simulating global and local surface temperature changes due to Holocene anthropogenic land cover change. Geophys Res Lett 41:623–631. doi:10.1002/2013gl058085

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houghton RA (1999) The annual net flux of carbon to the atmosphere from changes in land use 1850–1990. Tellus Ser B Chem Phys Meteorol 51:298–313. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0889.1999.00013.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houghton RA (2003) Revised estimates of the annual net flux of carbon to the atmosphere from changes in land use and land management 1850–2000. Tellus Ser B Chem Phys Meteorol 55:378–390. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0889.2003.01450.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houghton RA, Hackler JL (2003) Sources and sinks of carbon from land-use change in China. Glob Biogeochem Cycle 17. doi:10.1029/2002gb001970

  • Houghton RA, Hackler JL, Lawrence KT (1999) The US carbon budget: contributions from land-use change. Science 285:574–578. doi:10.1126/science.285.5427.574

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan JO, Krumhardt KM, Zimmermann N (2009) The prehistoric and preindustrial deforestation of Europe. Quat Sci Rev 28:3016–3034. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.09.028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein Goldewijk K (2001) Estimating global land use change over the past 300 years: the HYDE database. Glob Biogeochem Cycle 15:417–433. doi:10.1029/1999gb001232

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klein Goldewijk K, Verburg PH (2013) Uncertainties in global-scale reconstructions of historical land use: an illustration using the HYDE data set. Landsc Ecol 28:861–877. doi:10.1007/s10980-013-9877-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein Goldewijk K, Beusen A, van Drecht G, de Vos M (2011) The HYDE 3.1 spatially explicit database of human-induced global land-use change over the past 12,000 years. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 20:73–86. doi:10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00587.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li B, Fang X, Ye Y, Zhang X (2010) Accuracy assessment of global historical cropland datasets based on regional reconstructed historical data—a case study in Northeast China. Sci China Ser D Earth Sci 53:1689–1699. doi:10.1007/s11430-010-4053-5

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin S, Zheng J, He F (2009) Gridding cropland data reconstruction over the agricultural region of China in 1820. J Geogr Sci 19:36–48. doi:10.1007/s11442-009-0036-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu M, Tian H (2010) China’s land cover and land use change from 1700 to 2005: estimations from high-resolution satellite data and historical archives. Glob Biogeochem Cycle 24:GB3003. doi:10.1029/2009gb003687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J et al (2005) Spatial and temporal patterns of China’s cropland during 1990-2000: an analysis based on Landsat™ data. Remote Sens Environ 98:442–456. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2005.08.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Land and Resources of China (MLR) (1997) Annual report on Chinese land resources. Geological Publishing House, Beijing

  • Pitman AJ, Avila F, Abramowitz G, Wang Y, Phipps S, de Noblet-Ducoudre N (2011) Importance of background climate in determining impact of land-cover change on regional climate. Nat Clim Chang 1:472–475. doi:10.1038/nclimate1294

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pongratz J, Reick C, Raddatz T, Claussen M (2008) A reconstruction of global agricultural areas and land cover for the last millennium. Glob Biogeochem Cycle 22. doi:10.1029/2007gb003153

  • Ramankutty N, Foley JA (1999) Estimating historical changes in global land cover: croplands from 1700 to 1992. Glob Biogeochem Cycle 13:997–1027. doi:10.1029/1999gb900046

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ramankutty N, Foley J (2010) ISLSCP II historical croplands cover, 1700–1992. In Hall, Forest G, Collatz G, Meeson B, Los S, Brown de Colstoun E, Landis D (eds) ISLSCP initiative II collection data set. Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, p 10. doi:10.3334/ORNLDAAC/966. http://daac.ornl.gov/

  • Ruddiman WF, Ellis EC (2009) Effect of per-capita land use changes on Holocene forest clearance and CO2 emissions. Quat Sci Rev 28:3011–3015. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.05.022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smit B, Cai Y (1996) Climate change and agriculture in China. Glob Environ Chang 6:205–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • State Statistical Bureau (SSB) (1950–1997) Statistical yearbook of China. China Statistical Publisher House, Beijing

  • Sun H, Shi Y (2003) China agricultural land use. Jiangsu Science and Technology Press, Nanjing

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan Q (1991) Concise historical atlas of China. SinoMaps Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM, Mooney HA, Lubchenco J, Melillo JM (1997) Human domination of Earth’s ecosystems. Science 277:494–499. doi:10.1126/science.277.5325.494

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y (2005) Chinese historical land use. In: Wang G, Wang J, Wang P (eds) Proceedings of Wang Yuhu. China Agricultural Press, Beijing, pp 310–342

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu C (1996) Chinese agricultural history. Police-Education Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Ye Y, Fang X, Ren Y, Zhang X, Chen L (2009) Cropland cover change in Northeast China during the past 300 years. Sci China Ser D Earth Sci 52:1172–1182. doi:10.1007/s11430-009-0118-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, He F, Li S (2013) Reconstructed cropland in the mid-eleventh century in the traditional agricultural area of China: implications of comparisons among datasets. Reg Environ Chang 13:969–977. doi:10.1007/s10113-012-0390-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41271227), the China Global Change Research Program (Grant No. 2010CB950901) of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41471171).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

    Shicheng Li, Fanneng He & Xuezhen Zhang

  2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China

    Shicheng Li

  3. Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Climate Change, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China

    Xuezhen Zhang

Authors
  1. Shicheng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fanneng He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xuezhen Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fanneng He.

Additional information

Editor: Will Steffen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, S., He, F. & Zhang, X. A spatially explicit reconstruction of cropland cover in China from 1661 to 1996. Reg Environ Change 16, 417–428 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0751-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0751-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation