A numerical simulation study on the evolutionary characteristics of the damage process of karst soil cavity under positive pressure effect

Positive pressure effect is the result of rapid urban development in recent years,which leads to over-exploitation of karst groundwater,coupled with the emergence of extreme weather(such as heavy rainfall,the increase in the duration of heavy rainfall),leading to the sharp rise of karst water level,the gas in the karst cavity can not be discharged in time to form a high positive pressure in the soil cavity and promote the destruction of the soil layer,which then induces a series of phenomena,such as karst subsidence.As a new collapse mechanism,the positive pressure effect causes geological disasters that seriously affect the safety of people's lives and properties in karst regions.In order to study the damage characteristics and evolution characteristics of karst soil cavities under positive pressure effect,this study is based on the ASCII text provided by FLAC itself,and the orthotropic simulation computation compilation program,which realizes the finite element analysis in FLAC3D,and focuses on the inhomogeneous change of soil displacement,redistribution of stresses,and plastic damage of karst soil cavities in different evolution stages under the action of positive pressure,and summarizes the characteristics and laws of stress,strain and damage in plastic zone of karst soil cave at different stages of evolution.The results will play a positive role in further investigating the potential mechanical effects,development mechanism and critical warning conditions during the evolution of covered karst soil caves,and also have important scientific research value in deepening the theory of prevention and control of collapse disasters in covered karst soil caves.

Comparative Study on Phosphorus Contents of Soil in Karst Rocky Desertification Area during Eco-restoration Process in Guangxi Province

[Objective] The research aimed to study change law of phosphorus content of soil in karst rocky desertification region(KRD) during eco-restoration process such as Northwest Guangxi Province.[Method] The soil samples were collected from typical KRD in Pingguo County and Yizhou City.The determining quotas of different soil samples such as soil total phosphorus content and available phosphorus content were detected,in addition the soil total phosphorus content,available phosphorus content, urease activity, catalase activity and organic matter content in different soil samples were analyzed comparatively.[Result] Aspect,vegetation type and recovery time generated obviously influences on phosphorus contents in different soil samples.The concrete influence order was listed as follow: phosphorus content in soil of south slope was higher than that in soil of north slope;phosphorus content in soil where Zenia insignis Chun was planted was higher than that in soil of closed forest and that of soil where Dendrocalamus minor Var. amoen was planted,additionally,phosphorus increased with recovery time. Urease activity could be used as a monitoring index of soil fertility because it is related to the change of phosphorus content.[Conclusion] The soil of karst rocky desertification region in Northwest Guangxi Province could be recovered gradually if excessive human disturbance was stopped.If proper natural method of recovery promoted by human was taken,the recovery would reach a better result.

Effects of organic mineral fertiliser on heavy metal migration and potential carbon sink in soils in a karst region

Heavy metal pollution in karst mountainous area of Guizhou has spread due to the long-term exploitation of mineral resources and the improper disposal of environmentally hazardous waste. Heavy metals are characterised by non-degradation, strong toxicity, and constant accumulation, posing a grave threat to karst mountain fragile soil ecosystem. To reduce the harm caused by heavy metal pollution and damage to agricultural products, research was undertaken on the basis of previous work by simulating pot experiments on pak choi cabbage(Brassica rapa chinensis)planted in Cd-contaminated soil: different amounts of organic mineral fertilisers(OMF) compared with chemical fertiliser(CF) were used and by detecting the amount of heavy metal in the mature vegetable, a better fertilisation strategy was developed. The results showed that the Cd content in vegetables grown with CF was 23.70 mg/kg,while that of vegetables grown with OMF and bacterial inoculant was the lowest at 15.13 mg/kg. This suggests that the use of OMF and microbes in karst areas not only promotes plant growth but also hinders plant absorption of heavy metal ions in the soil. In addition, through the collection of pot leachate, the detection of water chemistrycharacteristics, and the calculation of the calcite saturation index, it was found that the OMF method also induces certain carbon sink effects. The results provide a new way in which rationalise the use of OMFs in karst areas to alleviate soil heavy metal pollution and increase soil carbon sequestration.

Interactions between Soil Characteristics, Environmental Factors, and Plant Species Abundance: A Case Study in the Karst Mountains of Longhushan Nature Reserve, Southwest China

The ability to manage and restore plant communities in the face of human-induced landscape change may rely on our ability to predict how species respond to environmental variables.Understanding this response requires examining factors or their interactions that have influence on plant and resource availability.Our objective was to analyze the relationships between changes in plant abundance and the interaction among environmental habitat factors including soil, geological(rock type), and other environmental variables in the Longhushan karst mountains ecosystem.Species density and dominance were examined using ANOVA, ANCOVA,and Generalized Linear Models to establish the single or combined effects of these groups of factors.The results showed that trends in abundance were mainly affected by rock type(related to the percentage content of dolomite and calcite), soil characteristics in association with topography.Both plant indices were higher in dolomite dominated areas and varied positively with moisture, and elevation, but negatively with organic matter, while density also increased with slope degree.The results demonstrate that significant variations in species abundance was produced with the combination of variables from soil, geological, andenvironmental factors, suggesting their interaction influence on plants.We postulate that spatial variations in plant abundance in karst ecosystem depends on the carbonate rock type in addition to water and nutrient availability which are mainly controlled by topography and other factors such as soil texture and temperature.The study suggests that in karst areas carbonate rock type, in addition to local environmental variables, should be taken into account when analyzing the factors that have impact on plant communities.

Carbon stable isotopic composition of karst soil CO_2 in central Guizhou,China

The δ13 values of soil CO2 are less than that of atmosphere CO2 in the karst area. On the soil-air interface, the δ13 vlaues of soil CO2 decrease with the increase in soil depth; below the soil-air interface, the δ13C values of soil CO2 are invariable. The type of vegetation on the land surface has an influence on the δ13C values of soil CO2 Due to the activity of soil microbes, the δ13C values of soil CO2 are variable with seasonal change in grass. Isotopic tracer indicates that atmosphere CO2 has a great deal of contribution to soil CO2 at the lower parts of soil profile.

Variation of δ^(13)C in karst soil in Yaji Karst Experiment Site, Guilin

This study deals with δ13C variation in karst soil system of Yaji Karst Experiment Site, Guilin, a typical region of humid subtropical karst formations. Samples of near ground air, plant tissue, soil and water (soil solution and karst spring) were respectively collected on site in different seasons during 1996-1999. Considerable variation of δ13C values are not only found with different carbon pools of soil organic carbon, soil air CO2 and soil water HCO3-, but also with the soil depths and with different seasons during a year. The δ13C values of CO2 both of near ground air and soil air are lower in July than those in April by 1‰-4‰ PDB. Our results indicate that the δ13C values of carbon in the water and air are essentially dependent on interface carbon interaction of air-plant-soil-rock-water governed by soilorganic carbon and soil CO2 in the system.

Assessment for soil loss by using a scheme of alterative sub-models based on the RUSLE in a Karst Basin of Southwest China

Accurate assessment of soil loss caused by rainfall is essential for natural and agricultural resources management. Soil erosion directly affects the environment and human sustainability. In this work, the empirical and contemporary model of revised universal soil loss equation （RUSLE） was applied for simulating the soil erosion rate in a karst catchment using remote sensing data and geographical information systems. A scheme of alterative sub-models was adopted to calculate the rainfall erosivity （R）, soil erodibility （K）, slope length and steepness （LS）, cover management （C） and conservation practice （P） factors in the geographic information system （GIS） environment. A map showing the potential of soil erosion rate was produced by the RUSLE and it indicated the severe soil erosion in the study area. Six classes of erosion rate are distinguished from the map： 1） minimal, 2） low, 3） medium, 4） high, 5） very high, and 6） extremely high. The RUSLE gave a mean annual erosion rate of 30.24 Mg ha-1 yr-1 from the 1980s to 2000s. The mean annual erosion rate obtained using RUSLE is consistent with the result of previous research based on in situ measurement from 1980 to 2009. The high performance of the RUSLE model indicates the reliability of the sub-models and possibility of applying the RUSLE on quantitative estimation. The result of the RUSLE model is sensitive to the slope steepness, slope length, vegetation factors and digital elevation model （DEM） resolution. The study suggests that attention should be given to the topographic factors and DEM resolution when applying the RUSLE on quantitative estimation of soil loss.

Pool Sizes and Turnover of Soil Organic Carbon of Farmland Soil in Karst Area of Guilin

The three-pool and first-order model separates the mineralizable organic carbon into active,slow,and passive carbon pools.This paper used the model and decomposition curves of the soil organic carbon to fit the active pool and its decomposition rate,slow pool and its decomposition rate.The results showed that the size of the active pool from different profiles accounted for 2.09%-3.08% of the total soil organic carbon and the mean residue time was 3.57-17.21 days.And the size of the slow pool accounted for 3.19%-43.55% and the mean residue time was 1.12-4.94 years.Acid hydrolysis（6M HCl） was used to fractionate the passive organic carbon,which accounted for 50.83%-94.44% of the total soil organic carbon.

The Heterogeneity and Its Influencing Factors of Soil Nutrients in Peak-Cluster Depression Areas of Karst Region

By selecting a typical peak-cluster depression area of karst region in Southwest China, we evaluated the effect of land use types and topographic factors on soil nutrients. Grid and line sampling methods were used to sample soil in depression and slope lands respectively, and classical statistical tools were applied to analyze the spatial variability character of soil organic carbon （SOC）, total nitrogen （TN）, total phosphorus （TP）, total potassium （TK）, available nitrogen （AN）, available phosphorus （AP）, available potassium （AK）, pH, and C/N. It was found that land use type was the dominant factor that effected the spatial heterogeneity of SOC, TN, TP, TK, AN, and AP. The content of SOC, TN, and AN decreased with the increase of land use intensity. Due to high fertilizer input, TP and AP in tillage fields were higher than those in the other land use types. TK had no obvious change trend among various land use types. Topographic factors had a significant effect on SOC, TN, TP, AN, AP, AK, and pH. Habitat factor was the dominant factor that effected AK. Altitude factor was the dominant factor for pH. However, all of these factors had no significant effect on C/N. Tillage practice had important effect on soil nutrients loss and soil degradation in the fragile karst ecosystem, and the input of organic manure should be increased in this region.

Impact of land cover types on the soil characteristics in karst area of Chongqing

The 26 plots including natural forestland, secondary forestland, shrub-grassland, sloping cropland, artificial forest and abandoned field, were selected to discuss the impact of land cover on the soil characteristics in the three karst districts of Chongqing. The results showed that： （1） After the vegetation turned into secondary vegetation or artificial vegetation, or reclamation, soil physical properties would be degraded. In the surface-layer soil of sloping cropland, the contents of 〉2 mm water-stable aggregates decreased obviously with apparent sandification. （2） The contents of soil organic matter and total nitrogen are controlled completely by vegetation type and land use intensity. The increasing trend is rather slow in the early days when over-reclamation is stopped and the land is converted to forest and pasture. （3） Herbaceous species increase and woody plants species decrease with the increase of land use intensity, therefore, the soil seed banks degrade more seriously. （4） The soil degradation index has been set up to describe the relative soil degradation degree under the conditions of different vegetation types. （5） Land cover has a significant effect on karst soil characteristics, land degradation in the karst ecosystem is essentially characterized by the different degradation of soil functions that serve as water banks, nutrient banks and soil seed banks.

The features of soil erosion and soil leakage in karst peak-cluster areas of Southwest China

Through utilizing water flow monitoring, rock scratching, soil wood piles and radionuclide ^(137)Cs tracing in the Longhe karst ecological experimental site(hereinafter referred to"Longhe site"), Pingguo County, Guangxi Province, the features and values of soil erosion and soil leakage in different geomorphologic locations and land uses in the karst peak-cluster depressions are showed clearly. There are four kinds of geomorphologic locations in the karst peak-cluster depression, namely peaks, strip, slopes and depression. The soil leakage modulus in the peaks and strips respectively occupy 92.43% and 96.24% of the total mean soil erosion modulus at experimental sites. On the slope, soil leakage accounted for about 75%. At the bottom of depression, surface water was the main factor of soil erosion, and at last most soil leaked into underground rivers from sinkholes. The total soil erosion modulus and the contribution rates of relative surface soil erosion in regard of peaks, slopes and depressions gradually increased. There are also five major types of land use in the karst peak-cluster depressions, farmland, Kudingcha tea plantations, young Lignum Sappan fields, shrub-grassland and pastures. The soil erosion modulus of slope farmland has the highest value with an increasing trend year by year. But soil erosion modulus of other four land use types decreased by year, which shows the "grain for green" will result in better soil protection. By handling with rocky desertification and ecological rehabilitation in Longhe site, the mean soil erosion modulus of the karst peak-cluster depression has decreased about 80% from 2003 to 2015.

The impact of land use on soil properties in a karst agricultural region of Southwest China: a case study of Xiaojiang watershed, Yunnan

Supported by RS and GIS, the land use change from 1982 to 2003 were analyzed and the impacts of land use changes on pH value, organic matter, total N, total P, total K, available N, available P, and available K in soil of Xiaojiang watershed, a typical karst agricultural region of Yunnan Province, Southwest China were assessed. The following aspects are concluded. （1） The total land use converted during the past 20 years in Xiaojiang watershed covers an area of 610.12 km^2, of which 134.29 km^2 of forestland was converted into cultivated land, and 210 km^2 of.unused land was converted into cultivated land. （2） The rapid growth of population and the economic development were the main driving forces of land use change. （3） With the change in land use, the soil properties have been changed significantly. The pH, organic matter, total N, total P, total K, available N, available P and available K in soil in 1982 were 6.3, 38.02 g·kg^-1, 1.86 g·kg^-1, 1.63 g·kg^-1, 10.94 g·kg^-1, 114.42 g·kg^-1, 11.65 mg·kg^-1 and 64.69 mg·kg^-1g, respectively; and those in 2003 were 6.73, 25.26 g·kg^-1, 1.41 g·kg^-1, 0.99 g·kg^-1, 12.6 g·kg^-1, 113.43 mg·kg^-1, 11.11 mg·kg^-1 and 151.59 mg·kg^-1, respectively. Pared samples t-test of the tested indices of soil properties indicate that those indices have changed significantly during the last 20 years. But the soil properties changed differently, due to the differences in land use change. （4） Also, with the change in land use and management measures of soil, the modifications in soil properties which developed from carbonate rocks were more sensitive than those in the soil developed from sandstone.

The Diversity of Soil Fauna Communities in the Karst Cave Wetland of Maolan Nature Reserve

From March 2014 to February 2015, the soil fauna community in the karst cave wetland of Maolan Nature Reserve was investigated. A total of 3,820 soil fauna was obtained, belonging to 31 orders, 11 classes, and 3 phyla. The dominant groups were Araneae, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, accounting for 48.90% of the total catch. There were 18 common groups and 10 rare groups. The diversity analysis showed that the Banzhai karst cave wetland had the largest soil fauna community diversity index and evenness index and that the Dongsai karst cave wetland had the largest number of groups and individuals. The seasonal variation of the soil fauna in the karst cave wetlands was analyzed: the number of soil fauna individuals showed a downtrend in summer, autumn, spring and winter; there were the highest number of phytophagous soil fauna, followed by predatory soil fauna and saprophagous soil fauna.

Characteristics and distributions of humic acids in two soil profiles of the southwest China Karst area

Characteristics and distributions of humic acid(HA) and soil organic matter(SOM) in a yellow soil profile and a limestone soil profile of the southwest China Karst area were systematically investigated to reveal their evolutions in different soils of the study area. The results showed that characteristics and distribution of SOM along the two soil profiles were notably different. Total organic carbon(TOC) contents of soil samples decreased just slightly along the limestone soil profile but sharply along the yellow soil profile. TOCs of the limestone soils were significantly higher than those of the corresponding yellow soils, and C/N ratios of SOMs showed a similar variation trend to that of TOCs, indicating that SOM can be better conserved in the limestone soil than in the yellow soil. The soil humic acids were exhaustively extracted and further fractionated according to their apparent molecular weights using ultrafiltration techniques to explore underlying conservation mechanisms. The result showed that C/N ratios of HAs from different limestone soil layers were relatively stable and that large molecular HA fractions predominated the bulk HA of the top soil, indicating that HA in the limestone profile was protected while bio and chemical degradations were retarded. Combined with organic elements contents and mineral contents of two soils, weconcluded that high calcium contents in limestone soils may play a key role in SOM conservation by forming complexation compounds with HAs or/and enclosing SOMs with hypergene CaCO_3 precipitation.

Soil Ecosystem Degradation of Karst Regions in Southwestern China

Deeply influenced by karst geological environment, the structure of the soil ecosystem in the southwest karst area of China is characterized by strong vertical variation and space variation, structural feature of nonrenewable soil, and functional feature of poor circulation of nutrient elements and limited vegetation growth. On the basis of analyzing vulnerability in structure and function of soil ecosystem in China's southwestern karst regions, we discussed the degradation process and mechanism of soil structure, nutrient, water and microorganism in the course of soil erosion from the perspective of material and energy cycle. Finally, we put forward some recommendations for recovery of degraded soil, transformation and rational utilization of soil.

Stable carbon isotopic composition of soil organic matter in the karst areas of Southwest China

This study dealt with the distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and the variation of stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C values) with depth in six soil profiles, including two soil types and three vegetation forms in the karst areas of Southwest China. The δ13C values of plant-dominant species, leaf litter and soils were measured using the sealed-tube high-temperature combustion method. Soil organic carbon contents of the limestone soil profiles are all above 11.4 g/kg, with the highest value of 71.1 g/kg in the surface soil. However, the contents vary between 2.9 g/kg and 46.0 g/kg in three yellow soil profiles. The difference between the maximum and minimum δ13C values of soil organic matter (SOM) changes from 2.2‰ to 2.9‰ for the three yellow soil profiles. But it changes from 0.8‰ to 1.6‰ for the limestone soil profiles. The contrast research indicated that there existed significant difference in vertical patterns of organic carbon and δ13C values of SOM between yellow soil and limestone soil. This difference may reflect site-specific factors, such as soil type, vegetation form, soil pH value, and clay content, etc., which control the contents of different organic components comprising SOM and soil carbon turnover rates in the profiles. The vertical variation patterns of stable carbon isotope in SOM have a distinct regional character in the karst areas.

X射线荧光光谱(XRF)法测定喀斯特地区土壤样品中Al_(2)O_(3)、CaO、Fe_(2)O_(3)、K_(2)O、MgO、SiO_(2)含量

为揭示喀斯特地区不同自然环境下土壤的相似性和差异性,为后续喀斯特石漠化治理和植被恢复提供科学依据,利用微晶纤维素作为粘结剂,采用粉末样品压片制样,使用波长色散X射线荧光光谱法建立了同时测定喀斯特地区碳酸盐、硅酸盐土壤样品中关键成分Al_(2)O_(3)、CaO、Fe_(2)O_(3)、K_(2)O、MgO、SiO_(2)含量的方法。从粘结剂对压片效果的影响,粘结剂添加比例对元素含量检测结果的影响,Al_(2)O_(3)、CaO、Fe_(2)O_(3)、K_(2)O、MgO、SiO_(2)的测量参数分析线,分析晶体、基体效应和谱线重叠干扰等方面进行了方法参数确认。根据优化的参数,使用49个土壤标准物质绘制校准曲线建立了检测方法。结果表明,利用新建方法进行Al_(2)O_(3)、CaO、Fe_(2)O_(3)、K_(2)O、MgO、SiO_(2)检测,检出限多在61.0 mg/kg以下,相对标准偏差(RSD,n=6)为0~3.7%,同时,利用新建方法对采自喀斯特地区不同类型的土壤样品进行检测,Al_(2)O_(3)、CaO、Fe_(2)O_(3)、K_(2)O、MgO、SiO_(2)均可被检出。方法具有操作简便、快速、准确的优点,可同时检测喀斯特地区碳酸盐、硅酸盐土壤样品中Al_(2)O_(3)、CaO、Fe_(2)O_(3)、K_(2)O、MgO、SiO_(2)含量。

Study on the Response of Soil Nutrient Content to Soil Loss in Karst Sloping Land of Southwest China

[ Objective] The study aimed to analyze the response of soil nutrient content to soil loss in karst sloping land of Southwest China. [Method] Choosing a karst sloping land in Nanchuan, Chongqing City as a sampling area, we analyzed the basic physical and chemical properties of soils at different sampling points, as well as the movement of Mg, Cu, Zn, Mg, Mo and Mn in the soils. [ Result] In the sloping land, there was a var- ying decrease in the content of all soil nutrients from the top to the bottom, but there was no obvious deposit at the bottom. In addition, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mg, Mo and Mn content had clear inflections in the sloping land, and these inflections mainly appeared at 15 -25 m. It proved that both surface soil erosion and underground soil leaching occurred at the same time in the karst sloping land. [Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the restoration of ecosystem in karst mountainous areas.