A soil-conservation scientist and sustainability researcher, Xiangzhou Xu is a full professor and Ph.D. supervisor at Dalian University of Technology (China), and he is also a high-level talent in Dalian. His expertise includes resource sustainability, soil and water conservation, urban rainwater utilization and topography measurement. The Topography Meter developed by him opened a new way for further tracking and measuring the landslides. He is the principal investigator of one project funded by the State Basic Research Program of China, four by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and one by the Excellent Talent Programs in the Universities of Liaoning Province. He has also won three prizes of the Ministerial and Provincial-Level Science and Technology Awards as the first or third accomplisher. He is the first or corresponding author of over 60 journal articles, and first or second author of two monographs published by Springer. One of his paper has been cited by SCI for more than 210 times. Two United States patents and 20+ Chinese invention patents filed by him have been approved. His research team includes 14 graduate students, 5 of whom are doctor candidates. He is an Associate Councilor of WASWAC (World Association of Soil and Water Conservation), and a standing committee member of the first Soil Erosion Division of China Soil and Water Conservation Society.

1. RESEARCH PROJECTS

[1]    PI. Role of vegetation on gravity erosion in the Loess Mesa Ravine Region (2024.1-2027.12). A General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52379060), appropriated.

[2]    PI. An air-water harvester (2021.10-2023.10), A General Program of the State Basic Research Program of China, appropriated.

[3]    Participant. Green Ecological Remediation Technology and Its Application for Regional Soil and Groundwater Pollution (2023.05-2027.04). National Key R & D Project (2022YFC3702301), appropriated.

[4]    PI. Landslides on the soil reservoir bank coupling various impacting factors (2019.1-2022.12). A General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51879032), accomplished.

[5]    Participant. Management of the river bed and bench land in the lower reaches of the Yellow River (2017.01-2020.12). National Key R & D Project (2016YFC0402504), accomplished.

[6]    PI. Experimental erosology (2015.01-2018.12). Program for Excellent Talents in the Universities of Liaoning Province (LR2015015), accomplished.

[7]    PI. A field study on gravitational erosion of the loess slope (2012.1-2015.12). A General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51179021), accomplished.

[8]    PI. An experimental study on gravitational erosion of the loess slope (2011.1-2013.12). A General Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51079016), accomplished.

2. SCIENCE AWARDS

[1]    Xu X, Guo W, Zhang H, Gao L. 2020, Topography-observation device based on the mechanically micro-adjustable dual hosts, Gold Award in the 24th National Invention Exhibition (China): Award of Innovative and Pioneering work, China Invention Association.

[2]    Xu X, Zhang H, Yu G, et al. 2018, Gravity erosion and ecosystem management on the Loess Plateau of China, Second Prize of the 10th Science and Technology Award of Chinese Society of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Society of Soil and Water Conservation.

[3]    Xia J, Li T, Xu X, et al. 2021, Key technology for mechanism and regulation of the soil and water production and transport in the Yellow River Basin. First Prize of Dayu Hydraulic Science and Technology Award in 2021, Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China.

[4]    Zhang O, Yang W, Xu X, Xia J, Xia J, Xu Q. 2010, Basin-system evolution and its environmental response, Second Prize of Hubei Natural Science Award in 2010, People's Government of Hubei Province.

[5]    Xu X, Zhang H, Wang G, Chen S. 2011, An experimental method to verify soil conservation by check dam on the Loess Plateau, China. First Prize of Liaoning Natural Science Publications, Review Committee of Liaoning Natural Science Publications.

[6]    Xu X. 2014, National Outstanding Supervisor of Professional Degree for Hydraulic Engineering (China), Supervising Committee Secretariat of National Professional Degree (China).

3. SELECTED PATENTS

[1]    Xu X, Guo W, Zhang H, Gao L, ZhaoX. 2020, Topography-observation device based on the mechanically micro-adjustable dual hosts, United States Patent, Patent no.: US 10,801,838 B2, Date of Patent: Oct 13, 2020.

[2]    Xu X, Gao L, Zhao X, Yin J, Lu J. 2020, Topography-meter host based on integrative mainboards, United States Patent, Patent no.: US 10,795,052 B2, Date of Patent: Oct 6, 2020.

[3]    Xu X, Peng X, Zhao Y, Zhang H. 2021, Method to observe the hydrological elements of the river offshore based on Directional Photography, CN, 202010966440.8 [Invention Patent], 06/08/2021. (in Chinese) 

[4]    Xu X，Dong S，Zhang H. 2020, Ecological revetment for wandering river improvement: CN, ZL201911028180.3 [Invention Patent], 08/05/2020. (in Chinese)

[5]    Xu X, Zhang C, Liu Y, Wang R, Song G. 2017, A 3D sampling device for the pollutants transporting in a river: CN, ZL201511024920.8 [Invention Patent], 12/19/2017. (in Chinese)

[6]    Xu X, Zhao R. 2015, Device and method for field experiments of the gravity erosion on the gully wall: CN, ZL201310422836.6 [Invention Patent], 07/15/2015. (in Chinese)

[7]    Xu X, Zhu X, Liu L, Ma L, Wang P. 2015, A rainwater collection device based on concrete sand-based porous bricks: CN, ZL201310237771.8 [Invention Patent], -07/15/2015. (in Chinese) 

[8]    Xu X, Guo W, Ma L, Yan Q. An observation method used in the field experiments of gravity erosion: CN, ZL201310422447.3 [Invention Patent], 01/28/2015. (in Chinese) 

[9]    Xu X, Xu F, Wang J, Liu Y, Wang S. 2012, A 3D observation device for the scouring terrain: CN, ZL201010502051.6 [Invention Patent], 07/04/2012. (in Chinese)

[10] Xu X, Xu F, Zhao C, Wang S, Zhang H. 2012, A measurement device to model the 3D landform: CN, ZL201010144655.8 [Invention Patent], 01/04/2012. (in Chinese))

4. SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

[1] Xu X, Zhu T, Zhang H, Gao L. 2020, Experimental Erosion: Theory and Practice of Soil Conservation Experiments, Science Press and Springer Nature, p1-247. (in English)

[2] Gao L, Xu X*, Zhao Y, Li Y, Tarolli P, Siyal AA, Xia J, Li Z. Assessing riverbank collapse with lateral displacement of shoreline for ecologically friendly erosion-resistant solutions, Environmental Earth Sciences, 2024, accepted.

[3] Gao L, Xu X*, Xia J. Deciphering the role of riverbank collapse in the braided reach of the Lower Yellow River: helpful or harmful?, Journal of Earth System Science, 2024, 133: 30 (1-13).

[4] Ma Y, Xu X^*, Xiao P, Yan Q, Zhao C. Geomorphic natural hazard on loess terrain: expansion on the gully sidewall, Natural Hazards, 2021, 109: 2535–2555.

[5] Gao H¹, Xu X^*1, Zhang H, Jiang Y, Zhao T. How effective is vegetation in reducing gravity erosion on loess gully sidewall under intense rainfalls?, Land Degradation and Development, 2020, 31: 2605– 2619.

[6] Xu X*, Ma Y, Yang W, Zhang H, Tarolli P, Jiang Y, Yan Q. 2020, Qualifying mass failures on loess gully sidewalls using laboratory experimentation. Catena, 187: 104252 (1-12). (SCI)

[7] Guo W, Xu X*, Zhu T, Zhang H, Wang W, Liu Y, Zhu M. 2020, Changes in particle size distribution of suspended sediment affected by gravity erosion: a field study on steep loess slopes, Journal of Soils and Sediments, 20: 1730-1741. (SCI)

[8] Abbasi NA¹, Xu X*¹, Lucas-Borja ME¹, Dang W, Liu B. 2019, The use of check dams in watershed management projects: Examples from around the world, Science of the Total Environment, 676: 683-691. (SCI)

[9] Xu X-Z*, Liu Z-Y, Xiao P-Q, Guo W-Z, Zhang H-W, Zhao C, Yan Q. 2015, Gravity erosion on the steep loess slope: Behavior, trigger and sensitivity, Catena, 135: 231-239. (SCI)

[10] Xu XZ*, Zhang HW, Zhang OY. 2004, Development of check-dam systems in gullies on the Loess Plateau, China. Environmental Science & Policy, 7(2): 79-86. (SCI, Times Cited: 200+)