Topographic spatial variation analysis of loess shoulder lines in the loess plateau of China based on mf-DFA

Abstract

The Loess Plateau in China is internationally known for its unique geographical features and has therefore been studied by many researchers. This research exploits the regional differences in the spatial morphological characteristics of Loess shoulder lines in different landform types as an important basis for geomorphological regionalization. In this study, we used ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), multi-fractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA), and detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) to analyze topographic data series extracted from shoulder lines. Loess shoulder-line land variations series data from the Suide, Ganquan, and Chunhua areas on the Loess Plateau were selected and a combination of the two above-mentioned methods was used to study land variations at these three sample sites. The results revealed differences in the topographic variations of the multi-fractal characteristics and the topographic spatial variation in the Loess shoulder line of the three sample sites. Furthermore, the extent to which the results were affected by noise and the analysis scale differed among the three areas.