Work

Correlation Analysis of Geological Disaster Density and Soil and Water Conservation Prevention and Control Capacity: A Case Study of Guangdong Province

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates the spatial coupling between geohazard susceptibility and soil conservation capacity in Guangdong Province, China, using integrated spatial analysis and machine learning approaches. Through kernel density estimation, hotspot analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and t-SNE clustering applied to 11,252 geohazard records and nine soil conservation factors, we identify three critical mechanisms: (1) Topographic steepness (LS factor) constitutes the primary control on geohazard distribution (r = 0.162, p < 0.001), with high-risk clusters concentrated in northeastern mountainous regions (Meizhou-Huizhou-Heyuan); (2) Vegetation coverage (C_mean) mediates rainfall impacts, exhibiting significant risk reduction (r = −0.099, p < 0.001) despite counterintuitive negative correlations with mean rainfall erosivity; (3) Soil conservation effectiveness depends on topographic context, reducing geohazard density in moderate slopes (Cluster 0: 527.04) but proving insufficient in extreme terrain (Cluster 2: LS = 20.587). The emerging role of rainfall variability (R_slope, r = 0.183) highlights climate change impacts.

Source: Water

DOI: 10.3390/w17172527

Authors: Yaping Lu, Jingcheng Fu, Li Tang

Institutions: Guangzhou Urban Planning Survey & Design Institute, Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China, Taiyuan University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Landslides and related hazards

Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137