Change of Tillage Layer Thickness of Farmland in Anhui Province of Eastern China

Tillage layer thickness (TLT) of farmland could be regarded as one of physical indexes in assessing soil productivity and quality. In recent years, tillage layer shallowing was found in China in various regions, mainly due to the adoption of non-tillage or rotary tillage practices, but only little rough and non-quantitative information is available so far on the issue. This research took Anhui, a typical agricultural province in Eastern China as an example and compared the TLTs of 87 typical profiles on provincial scale and 210 on county scale from 1980s to 2010s. The results showed that TLTs of 3.7% and 17.2% of samples in 1980s and 2010s respectively were larger than 20 cm. From 1980s to 2010s the mean TLT increased from 16.3 to 17.4 cm on the provincial scale and from 15.0 to 15.5 cm on the county scale respectively. In the middle and southern regions the mean TLTs increased by 0.4-0.7 cm on the provincial scale and 0.3-3.2 cm on the county scale respectively, but decreased by 2.0 cm in northern region on the county scale. The mean TLT increased by 0.8 cm for paddy-field and 1.4 cm for dry-land on the provincial scale. TLT was influenced comprehensively by the factors of soil texture, the depth of rotary tillage and the farming positivity of the farmers. Generally, TLT of farmland with coarse soil texture was higher than that of farmland with fine soil texture, in 1980s TLT in region of poor-economic condition usually was deeper than in region of good-economic condition, and the adoption of rotary tillage led widely TLTs of farmlands to about 15 cm in 2010s.

Content, Density, Illuviation Mode and Depth of CaCO₃in Soils of Semiarid-Arid Qilian Mountains—An Altitude Sequence Study of the Hulugou Watershed

The parental material of soils in the Qilian Mountains of northwest China is mainly aeolian loess containing CaCO3 which may remain in soils under the semiarid-arid climate. To disclose the CaCO3 characteristics change with the altitude and the terrain attributes, we surveyed 18 soil profiles in an altitude sequence from 3076 m to 4510 m in the Hulugou Watershed in the Qilian Mountains, measured CaCO3 contents of all genetic horizon samples, analyzed the densities, illuviation modes and depths of CaCO3 in the profiles, extracted values of the terrain attributes of the profiles including altitude slope, aspect, plane curvature, profile curvature and terrain wetness index (TWI) from the 90 m resolution SRTM3 DEM data on ArcGIS 9.3 platform. We found that CaCO3 weighted content of the profiles ranged from 1.30 g·kg-1 to 93.09 g·kg-1, CaCO3 density from 0.05 kg/m2 to 75.69 kg/m2, CaCO3 illuviation depth from 12 cm to 54 cm. CaCO3 illuviation modes could be divided into three types, i.e., no illuviation mode in which the profile has only A horizon or CaCO3 content -1, middle illuviation mode in which CaCO3 accumulated in a middle horizon, and down illuviation mode in which CaCO3 content increases with the depth. CaCO3 weighted content, density and illuviation depth had significant correlation with certain terrain attributes. In general, the altitude sequence is an effective way to study CaCO3 characteristics in the alpine region, and the data of terrain attributes which can influence the precipitation and its redistribution in soil are potential in predicting soil CaCO3 characteristics in the alpine region.

Evolution and significance of soil magnetism of basalt-derived chronosequence soils in tropical southern China

Soil samples were collected from eight basalt- derived chronosequence soils with the ages of 0.01, 0.58, 0.92, 1.33, 2.04, 3.04, 3.76 and 6.12 Ma respectively from Leizhou Peninsula and northern Hainan Island of tropical southern China. Magnetic parameters of magnetic susceptibility (MS), percentage of frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility (FDS%), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM), saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM), soft and hard isothermal remanent magnetization (IRMs and IRMh) of the collected samples were measured to study the evolution and the significance of the magnetism with soil age. The results show that the magnetic parameters changed fast from Primosols to Ferrosols (0.01 ~ 0.92 Ma) but slowly at Ferralosols stage (1.33 Ma~), it suggests a stable phase occurred for soil magnetism at Ferralosols, the existence of this phase could be supported by the little changes in the contents of clay, Fet and Fed. Obvious differences existed in the values of magnetic parameters between Ferralosols and other soil types (Primosols and Ferrosols), FDS%: Ferralosols > 10%, Primosols and Ferrosols –8· SIm3·kg–1, Primosols and Ferrosols > 8000 × 10–8 SIm3·kg–1, thus, it is possible to differentiate Ferralosols from other soil types in tropical region by using magnetic indices.

Quantitative Estimation of the Changes in Soil CEC after the Removal of Organic Matter and Iron Oxides

The removal of organic matter and iron oxides could increase and decrease soil CEC in tropical and subtropical regions, but the quantitative information is insufficient so far about the change of soil CEC, the influence factors and their contribution. In this study, the subhorizon soils of 24 soil series in the tropical and subtropical China were used, pH, particle size composition, organic matter, iron oxides of these samples were measured, and also CECs were measured and compared for the original soils and after the removal of organic matter and iron oxides. The results showed that, compared with CEC of the original soil, the eliminating organic matter increased soil CEC significantly by 2.28% - 56.50% with a mean of 24.02%, but the further obliterating iron oxides decreased soil CEC significantly by 0.75% - 20.30% with a mean of 7.73%. CEC after the removal of organic matter and iron oxides had positive correlation with iron oxides (p < 0.01) and negative correlation with sand content (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05). CEC after organic matter eliminated was mainly decided by iron oxides (51.68%), followed by silt content (22.19%);while CEC after iron oxides obliterated was mainly determined by iron oxides (50.55%). The increase of CEC after organic matter eliminated was co-affected by the contents of clays, slits, iron oxides and pH (22.00% - 27.34%), while the decrease of CEC after iron oxides obliterated further was dominated by the content of organic matter (66.92%). More other soil parameters should be considered for higher predicting accuracy in the regression model of soil CEC after the removal of organic matter and iron oxides, and the recommended optimal models obtained in this study were as follows: for soil CEC after organic matter eliminated, CEC = 1.665 − 0.546pH − 0.024OM + 0.053FexOy − 0.001Silt + 0.007Clay + 0.972CECoriginal (R2 was 0.923, RSME was 1.55 cmol(+)∙kg−1, p < 0.01), while for soil CEC after iron oxides further obliterated, CEC = 1.665 − 0.546pH − 0.024OM + 0.053FexOy − 0.001Silt + 0.007Clay + 0.972CECoriginal (R2 was 0.923, RMSE was 1.55 cmol(+)∙kg−1, p < 0.01). Further research is needed in the future as for exploring internal functional mechanism in view of soil electrochemistry and mineralogy.

New Algorithm of Clay CEC for Soils in Tropical and Subtropical Regions of South China

Clay CEC is one of identification indexes of the LAC-ferric horizon which is the diagnostic horizon of ferrosols in Chinese Soil Taxonomy, and it is defined as soil CEC × 1000/clay content, rather than the measured CEC of the extracted clays;however, such a calculation method would definitely lead to an overestimation of clay CEC because it doesn’t remove the contribution to soil CEC from other soil parameters. In this study, the physiochemical data of the subhorizons from 82 soil series in the tropical and subtropical regions in south China were used, clay CEC was calculated according to the current formula and measured after clays being extracted, the measured and calculated clay CEC were compared, the influencing factors were analyzed for their difference, and the new algorithms were established for clay CEC. The results showed that the measured clay CEC was 21.86% - 99.53% with a mean of 66.88% of the calculated one (significantly lower at p < 0.01), and their difference was significantly correlated with the contents of clays, sand and OM, and mainly decided by the contents of clays and Fe2O3 (the contribution was 52.51% and 25.36%, respectively). By comparison of established regression models of clay CEC with other soil parameters, two new algorithms were recommended for clay CEC as follows: 1) Clay CEC = 10.32 − 0.14pH − 0.05OM − 0.11Fe2O3 + 0.01Silt − 0.01Clay + 1.17CECsoil, R2 = 0.705, P < 0.01;2) Clay CEC = −3.40 + 0.01Sand + 0.02Silt + 1.05CECsoil, R2 = 0.589, P < 0.01).

Comparison of Highly-Weathered Acid Soil CEC Determined by NH₄OAc (pH = 7.0) Exchange Method and BaCl₂-MgSO₄Forced-Exchange Method

Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is one of the most important properties of soils. The NH4OAc (pH = 7.0) exchange method is usually recommended to determine CEC (CEC1) of all soils with different pH values, particularly for studies on soil taxonomy. But comparatively the BaCl2-MgSO4 forced-exchange method is more authentic in determining CEC (CEC2) of tropical and subtropical highly-weathered acid soils. But so far little is known about the difference between CEC1 and CEC2. In this study, the physiochemical data of 114 acid B horizon soils from 112 soil series of tropical and subtropical China were used, CEC1 and CEC2 were determined and compared, the influencing factors were analyzed for the difference between CEC1 and CEC2, and then a regression model was established between CEC1 and CEC2. The results showed that CEC2 was significantly lower than CEC1 (p < 0.01), CEC2 was 14.76% - 63.31% with a mean of 36.32% of CEC1. In view of the contribution to CEC from other properties, CEC2 was mainly determined by pH (45.92%), followed by silt (21.05%), free Fe2O3 (17.35%) and clay contents (12.76%), CEC1 was mainly decided by free Fe2O3 content (40.38%), followed by pH (28.39%) and silt content (27.29%;and the difference between CEC1 and CEC2 was mainly affected by free Fe2O3 (50.92%), followed by silt content (26.46%) and pH (21.80%). The acceptable optimal regression model between CEC2 and CEC1 was established as CEC2 = 2.3114 × CEC11.1496 (R2 = 0.410, P < 0.001, RMSE = 0.15). For the studies on soil taxonomy, the BaCl2-MgSO4 forced-exchange method is recommended in determining CEC of the highly-weathered acid soils in the tropical and subtropical regions.

Save the life-sustaining mattic layer on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

INTRODUCTION The Kobresia pastures on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP)are a key feature of the world’s largest alpine ecosystem.They occupy approximately 450,000 km^(2),nearly 1/5 of the area of the QTP,and dominate the headwaters of most of Asia’s great rivers(Figure 1).1 Kobresia plants are typically only a few centimeters tall and form a fairly firm turf blanketing all relief positions wherever the environment allows.The Kobresia roots are interwoven with the surface soil.This characteristic layer is called a“mattic epipedon-a mat-like surface soil layer,”according to Chinese soil taxonomy.This definition is not found in other soil classification systems,but has been adopted in China primarily as a diagnostic feature for alpine meadow soils.

Most root-derived carbon inputs do not contribute to long-term global soil carbon storage

Plant root-derived carbon(C)inputs(I_(root))are the primary source of C in mineral bulk soil.However,a fraction of I_(root)may lose quickly(I_(loss),e.g.,via rhizosphere microbial respiration,leaching and fauna feeding)without contributing to long-term bulk soil C storage,yet this loss has never been quantified,particularly on a global scale.In this study we integrated three observational global data sets including soil radiocarbon content,allocation of photo synthetically assimilated C,and root biomass distribution in 2,034 soil profiles to quantify I_(root)and its contribution to the bulk soil C pool.We show that global average I_(root)in the 0-200 cm soil profile is 3.5 Mg ha^(-1)yr^(-1),~80%of which(i.e.,I_(loss))is lost rather than co ntributing to long-term bulk soil C storage.I_(root)decreases exponentially with soil depth,and the top 20 cm soil contains>60%of total I_(root).Actual C input contributing to long-term bulk soil storage(i.e.,I_(root)-I_(loss))shows a similar depth distribution to I_(root).We also map I_(loss)and its depth distribution across the globe.Our results demonstrate the global significance of direct C losses which limit the contribution of I_(root)to bulk soil C storage;and provide spatially explicit data to facilitate reliable soil C predictions via separating direct C losses from total root-derived C inputs.

Stoichiometry of base cations and silicon during weathering of a deep soil profile derived from granite

Evaluation of the stoichiometry of base cations(BCs,including K^(+),Na^(+),Ca^(2+),and Mg^(2+))and silicon(Si)(BCs:Si)during soil mineral weathering is essential to accurately quantify soil acidification rates.The aim of this study was to explore the differences and influencing factors of BCs:Si values of different soil genetic horizons in a deep soil profile derived from granite with different extents of mineral weathering.Soil type was typic acidi-udic Argosol.Soil samples were collected from Guangzhou,China,which is located in a subtropical region.To ensure that the BCs and Si originated from the mineral weathering process,soil exchangeable BCs were washed with an elution treatment.The BCs:Si values during weathering were obtained through a simulated acid rain leaching experiment using the batch method.Results showed that soil physical,chemical,and mineralogical properties varied from the surface horizon to saprolite in the soil profile.The BCs:Si values of soil genetic horizons during weathering were 0.3–3.7.The BCs:Si value was 1.7 in the surface horizon(A),1.1–3.7 in the argillic horizon(Bt),and 0.3–0.4 in the cambic(Bw)and transition(BC)horizons,as well as in horizon C(saprolite).The general pattern of BCs:Si values in the different horizons was as follows:Bt>A>Bw,BC,and C.Although BCs:Si values were influenced by weathering intensity,they did not correlate with the chemical index of alteration(CIA).The release amounts of Si and BCs are the joined impact of soil mineral composition and physical and chemical properties.A comprehensive analysis showed that the BCs:Si values of the soil derived from granite in this study were a combined result of the following factors:soil clay,feldspar,kaolinite,organic matter,pH,and CIA.The main controlling factors of BCs:Si in soils of different parent material types require extensive research.The wide variance of BCs:Si values in the deep soil profile indicated that H+consumed by soil mineral weathering was very dissimilar in the soils with different weathering intensities derived from the same parent material.Therefore,the estimation of the soil acidification rate based on H+biogeochemistry should consider the specific BCs:Si value.

东北黑土区和东北典型黑土区的范围与划界

东北是我国重要的粮食基地,但该区土壤侵蚀和土地退化有日益严重的趋势,因此近年来保护黑土的呼声越来越大.为了制定精准保护黑土的规划,需要准确的边界划定.本文目的是界定东北黑土区的内涵,定量划定东北黑土区的边界,落实黑土区包括的县级行政区.划定方法是以土壤发生学分类的黑土、黑钙土、栗钙土和灰色森林土作为黑土区的标志土壤,将其集中分布区划为黑土区;以黑土和黑钙土作为典型黑土区的标志土壤,将其集中分布区划为典型黑土区.这些土壤大多都属于中国土壤系统分类中的均腐土(Isohumosols),或美国土壤系统分类中的软土(Mollisol),具有明显的“暗沃表层”黑土特征,同属“黑土”系列.在ArcGIS10.2软件中,用“中心引力集聚法”反复迭代,合并或舍弃边缘小图斑,形成完整的东北黑土区和东北典型黑土区.划分结果如下:东北黑土区的面积为55.6万km2,涉及146个县级行政区.东北典型黑土区的面积为33.3万km2,涉及138个县级行政区.黑土区内坡度大于0.25°的农地存在水土流失问题,是水土流失的重点防治对象,面积为8.9万km2.典型黑土区内坡度大于0.25°的农地,是水土流失的优先防治对象,面积为7.8万km2.结果可为黑土区生态文明建设特别是水土保持规划提供重要科学依据.

Decades of effort help improve lake ecology and environment in China

Lakes are natural-historical bodies consisting of lake basins,lake water,various substances in the water,and aquatic organisms[1].They provide 0.26%of freshwater resources and account for 0.013%of the total water resources on Earth.Lakes are the central hub of the global biogeochemical cycle of key elements in support of watershed sustainability,and play an irreplaceable role in regional water security,drought amelioration,flood supply,and economic and social development[2].However,intensification of anthropogenic disturbance and climate changes has resulted in drastic changes in both the quantity and quality of global lake water[3].

Chronosequencing methanogenic archaea in ancient Longji rice Terraces in China

Chronosequences of ancient rice terraces serve as an invaluable archive for reconstructions of historical human-environment interactions. Presently, however, these reconstructions are based on traditional soil physico-chemical properties. The microorganisms in palaeosols have been unexplored. We hypothesized that microbial information can be used as an additional proxy to complement and consolidate archaeological interpretations. To test this hypothesis, the palaeoenvironmental methanogenic archaeal DNA in Longji Terraces, one of the famous ancient terraces in China, dating back to the late Yuan Dynasty(CE1361–1406), was chronosequenced by high-throughput sequencing. It was found that the methanogenic archaeal abundance, diversity and community composition were closely associated with the 630 years of rice cultivation and in line with changes in multi-proxy data. Particularly, the centennial-and decadalscale influences of known historical events, including social turbulences(The Taiping Rebellion, CE1850–1865), palaeoclimate changes(the Little Ice Age) and recorded natural disasters(earthquakes and inundation), on ancient agricultural society were clearly echoed in the microbial archives as variations in alpha and beta diversity. This striking correlation suggests that the microorganisms archived in palaeosols can be quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed to provide an additional proxy, and palaeo-microbial information could be routinely incorporated in the toolkit for archaeological interpretation.

Understanding sustainability of soil and water resources in a critical zone perspective

Soil and water resources are fundamental for human beings.Understanding the status and the evolution of regional water and soil resources is the prerequisite for their sustainable management.China is severely constrained by water and soil resources which are subject to soil forming processes under different natural factors such as climate and relief,and also influenced by diversified landuse histories and intensities.Quality and security of water and soil resources are therefore influenced by both natural and anthropogenic processes.

A classification scheme for Earth’s critical zones and its application in China

As the thin layer at the Earth’s terrestrial surface,the critical zone(CZ)ranges from the vegetation canopy to the aquifer or the interface between saprolite and bedrock and varies greatly in space.In the last decade,much attention has been paid to the establishment of Critical Zone Observatories(CZOs)that focus on various aspects of CZ science over different time scales.However,to the best of our knowledge,few studies have explicitly contributed to CZ classification or regionalization;thus,the spatial patterns of similar CZs have not been clearly identified.This study proposed a three-category CZ classification scheme by integrating environmental factors that greatly affect the transfer of energy and mass in the Earth’s near-surface environment and thus dominate CZ formation and evolution,i.e.,climate,parent material,soil type,groundwater table depth,geomorphology and land use.The main goal was to highlight the zonality of these driving forces,of which the high-category classification units were overlaid to delineate the CZ boundaries.The CZ regionalization of China was performed as a case study,resulting in 44 major regions(1st category),100 submajor regions(2nd category)and 1448 regions(3rd category).The spatial distributions and driving factors of the ten largest regions were identified,followed by a simple comparison of the CZO network.Then,the proposed CZ regionalization was compared with recent studies on regionalization in China to evaluate its successes and weaknesses.By linking together CZ studies from the last decade,we advocate that a theoretical framework integrating the CZ evolution processes with ecological functions acts as one of the frontiers of CZ science.Our study demonstrates that the proposed three-category CZ classification scheme effectively identifies the spatial variations in CZs and could thus be further applied in other areas to advance terrestrial environmental research and provide decision support for the sustainable management of natural resources.

Iron loss of paddy soil in China and its environmental implications

Iron(Fe)is an important element for the terrestrial and marine ecosystems through its biogeochemical cycling on the Earth’s surface.China has a long rice cultivation history,with extensive rice distribution across many types of paddy soils.Paddy soils are the largest anthropogenic wetlands on earth with critical roles in ecosystem functions.The periodic artificial submergence and drainage during paddy soil evolution result in significant changes in soil moisture regime and redox conditions from the natural soils,which facilitate the increase of Fe solubility and mobilization.However,there is a lack of systematic assessment on the magnitude of the migration and loss amount of Fe from paddy soils.In order to quantify the Fe loss and assess the dynamic evolution of Fe in the soils after rice cultivation,seven paddy soil chronosequences derived from different landscapes(bog,plain,terrace)and parent materials(acidic,neutral,calcareous)with cultivation history from 0 to 2,000 yr were studied.Results showed that the rates and trajectories of Fe evolution showed distinct patterns among the studied seven paddy soil chronosequences.However,net losses of Fe from 1 m soil depth occurred at all studied paddy soil chronosequences regardless of the original landscapes and parent materials.Fe in the paddy soils derived from the calcareous lacustrine sediments in the bog area showed a slight accumulation during the initial stage(50 yr)of paddy cultivation,with a loss rate of0.026 kg m^(-2)yr^(-1) during the 50-to 500-yr time period.For the paddy soils developed on the calcareous marine sediments in the plain area,Fe evolution was dominated by the internal movement in soil profiles through coupled reducing-eluviation reactions in the surface horizons and oxidation-illuviation in the subsurface horizons within 1,000 yr of paddy cultivation,with an averaged net loss rate of 0.029 kg m^(-2)yr^(-1) during the 1,000-to 2,000-yr time period of rice cultivation.In contrast,Fe in the paddy soils derived from the acidic and neutral parent materials in the plain and terraced upland areas was rapidly lost during the initial stage of paddy cultivation,with a maximum loss rate of 1.106 kg m^(-2)yr^(-1),while the Fe loss rate decreased gradually with increasing paddy cultivation age.Soil pH,CaCO_(3),and organic matter contents of the original soils,the length of time of paddy cultivation,landscape types and positions,and changes in soil moisture regime and redox condition induced by artificial submergence and drainage were the main factors controlling the rates and trajectories of Fe loss during paddy soils evolution.The amount of Fe loss caused by rice cultivation at the national scale was estimated based on the data collected from this study and the literature.The Fe loss fluxes of paddy soils in China were about 46.4–195.7 Tg yr^(-1),and the amounts of Fe losses from paddy fields nationwide were about 5,121.5–9,412.2 Tg.Quantifying Fe loss from paddy fields is important to scientifically assess the impact of paddy cultivation on the Fe biogeochemical cycle.