Comprehensive Earth Critical Zone Observation and Terrestrial Surface Flux Monitoring Provide Strong Scientifific Support for Ecological Protection and Regional Sustainable Development on the Loess Plateau of China

Since the foundation of Chinese Loess Plateau Research and Observation Station for Earth Critical Zone and Terrestrial Surface Flux (CLP-CZO), CLP-CZO has been committing itself to serving the frontier critical zone science and regional or national policy needs. During the past decades, the research station has made several important advancements, including loess stratigraphy, paleo-environment evolution, ecosystem processes and services, soil and water conservation and policy advices for the Chinese Loess Plateau and the Yellow River. For its excellent research and policy services, the research station has been awarded two times of China National Natural Science Award and one time of Outstanding Scientific and Technological Achievement Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Up to now, the research station has published more than 300 peer-reviewed high quality papers. The significant science and policy advisory achievements include: (1) high quality and comprehensive loess and paleo-monsoon research, which has uncovered the internal relationships between loess-paleosol stratigraphy and paleo-climate and paleo-environment evolution and built the original theory of Paleo-monsoon Controlled Environment Evolution, and which has made the Chinese Quaternary paleo-climate research leading the world; (2) systematic research of land use patterns, ecosystem processes and services of the Chinese Loess Plateau, which has uncovered the interactive mechanisms of land use patterns and ecosystem processes and services in the area and put forward the parameter system and framework of the critical zone classification of the Chinese Loess Plateau for sustainable development; (3) systematic research of multiscale soil and water processes and conservation and its responses to large vegetation and engineering rehabilitation measures on the Chinese Loess Plateau, which has uncovered the complex relationships between soil moisture and regional climate, soil and vegetation and quantitatively evaluated the environment benefits and tradeoffs of large vegetation and engineering rehabilitation measures; (4) continuously providing advisory reports to the central government, the state council, state leaders and local government departments, which has provided strong science support for the decision-makers for the ecological rehabilitation and sustainable economic and social development of the Chinese loess Plateau and the Yellow River.