Soil organic carbon associated with aggregate-size and density fractions in a Mollisol amended with charred and uncharred maize straw

Straw return has been strongly recommended in China,whereas applying biochar into soil is considered to provide more benefits for agriculture as well as the environment.In this study,a five-year(2011-2015) field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of uncharred maize straw amendment(MS) and charred maize straw amendment(charred MS) on organic carbon(C) contents in bulk soil and in various soil aggregate-size and density fractions.Compared to no amendment(CK),the bulk soil organic C content significantly improved by 9.30% for MS and by 23.4% for charred MS.Uncharred and charred maize straw applied annually at a consistent equal-C dosage resulted in 19.7 and 58.2% organic C sequestration efficiency in soil,respectively,after the five years of the field experiment.The percentages of macroaggregates(>0.25 mm) and occluded microaggregates(0.25-0.053 mm) obviously increased by 7.73 and 18.1% for MS and by 10.7 and 19.6% for charred MS,respectively.Moreover,significant incremental increases of 19.4 and 35.0% in macroaggregate-associated organic C occurred in MS and charred MS,respectively.The occluded microaggregates associated organic C significantly increased by 21.7% for MS and 25.1% for charred MS.Mineral-associated organic C(<0.053 mm) inside the macroaggregates and the occluded microaggregates obviously improved by 24.7 and 33.3% for MS and by 18.4 and 44.9% for charred MS.Organic C associated with coarse particulate organic matter(POM) within the macroaggregates markedly increased by 65.1 and 41.2% for MS and charred MS,respectively.Charred MS resulted in a noteworthy increment of 50.4% for organic C associated with heavy POM inside the occluded microaggregates,whereas charred MS and MS observably improved organic C associated with heavy POM inside the free microaggregates by 36.3 and 20.0%,respectively.These results demonstrate that uncharred and charred maize straw amendments improve C sequestration by physically protecting more organic C in the macroaggregates and the occluded microaggregates.Compared to the feedstock straw amendment,charred maize straw amendment is more advantageous to C sequestration.

Variation of soil organic carbon and bulk density during afforestation regulates soil hydraulic properties

Grain to Green program on arable land has been conducted for decades in semi-arid regions of North China.However,it remains uncertain how afforestation practices affect soil hydraulic properties(SHP).Two afforestation types,i.e.shrubland(SL)and woodland(WL),and the adjacent cropland(CL)were investigated to determine afforestation effects on SHP in this area.Disturbed and undisturbed soil cores were collected in three experimental sites.Soil field capacity(FC),wilting point(WP),and available water capacity(AWC)increased in SL compared to the CL.Soil saturated water content,however,decreased significantly in both SL and WL.Correlation and redundancy analysis identified that bulk density(BD)and soil organic carbon(SOC)were the main factors regulating SHP across different land uses.Lower saturated water contents in afforestation sites were likely driven by the higher BD,compared to the adjacent cropland.FC,WP,and AWC were positively correlated to SOC content.While afforestation may not increase the saturated water content of a landscape,our results indicate that it can improve soil water retention and could be an effective practice for soil and water conservation.

The Influencing Factors of Soil Organic Carbon Density in Lanlingxi Watershed in Three Gorges Reservoir Area

To reveal the influencing factors of soil organic carbon( SOC) density in 0-30 cm soil layer of Lanlingxi watershed in Three Gorges Reservoir Area,build the regression equation for soil organic carbon density and adjust carbon sink strategy in this region,soil samples of top soil profile( 0-30 cm) in five land use types were selected by the typical method. The SOC density of top soil profile( 0-30 cm) and other environmental factors,such as elevation,slope and aspect and soil properties in five land use types,including grassland,scrubland,woodland,land for tea plantation and farmland in the watershed was investigated. The relationship of SOC density with physical properties of soil was also examined. The SOC density of the above five land use types averaged 7. 55,3. 83,6. 04,10. 24,2. 83 kg·m^(-2),respectively. There was a significant difference in the SOC density( p < 0. 01); SOC density was significantly positively correlated with organic matter content( R= 0. 942,p < 0. 01),clay mass percentage( R = 0. 898,p < 0. 01),total nitrogen( R = 0. 863,p < 0. 01),elevation( R = 0. 599,p < 0. 01); SOC density was significantly negatively correlated with sand content( R =-0. 932,p < 0. 01) and slope( R =-0. 407,p < 0. 05); and the correlation between SOC density and soil p H,total phosphorus or total potassium was not obvious. Multiple correlation coefficient R = 0. 986( R > 0. 8,highly correlated) between SOC density and environmental factors was greater than the correlation coefficient between any one independent variable and dependent variable,which fully proved the combined effect of environmental factors on SOC density.

Spatial-Temporal Changes of Soil Organic Carbon During Vegetation Recovery at Ziwuling, China

To probe the processes and mechanisms of soil organic carbon (SOC) changes during forest recovery, a 150-yearchronosequence study on SOC was conducted for various vegetation succession stages at the Ziwuling area, in the centralpart of the Loess Plateau, China. Results showed that during the 150 years of local vegetation rehabilitation SOC increasedsignificantly (P < 0.05) over time in the initial period of 55-59 years, but slightly decreased afterwards. Average SOCdensities for the 0-100 cm layer of farmland, grassland, shrubland and forest were 4.46, 5.05, 9.95, and 7.49 kg C m-3,respectively. The decrease in SOC from 60 to 150 years of abandonment implied that the soil carbon pool was a sink forCO2 before the shrubland stage and became a source in the later period. This change resulted from the spatially variedcomposition and structure of the vegetation. Vegetation recovery had a maximum effect on the surface (0-20 cm) SOCpool. It. was concluded that vegetation recovery on the Loess Plateau could result in significantly increased sequestrationof atmospheric CO2 in soil and vegetation, which was ecologically important for mitigating the increase of atmosphericconcentration of CO2 and for ameliorating the local eco-environment.

Stability of soil organic carbon changes in successive rotations of Chinese fir(Cunninghamia lanceolata(Lamb.) Hook) plantations

The importance of soil organic carbon （SOC） under forests in the global carbon cycle depends on the stability of the soil carbon and its availability to soil microbial biomass. We investigated the effects of successive rotations of Chinese fir （Cunninghamia lanceolata （Lamb.） Hook） plantations on the stability of SOC and its availability to microbes by adopting the two-step hydrolysis with H2SO4 and density fractionation. The results showed that successive rotations of Chinese fir decreased the quantity of total SOC, recalcitrant fraction, and carbohydrates in Labile Pool I （LPI）, and microbial properties evidently, especially at 0-10 cm horizon. However, cellulose included in Labile Pool Ⅱ （LP Ⅱ） and the cellulose/total carbohydrates ratio increased in successive rotations of Chinese fir. The noncellulose of carbohydrates included in LPI maybe highly available to soil microbial biomass. Hence the availability of SOC to microbial biomass declined over the successive rotations. Although there was no significant change in recalcitrance of SOC over the successive rotations of Chinese fir, the percentage of heavy fraction to total SOC increased, suggesting that the degree of physical protection for SOC increased and SOC became more stable over the successive rotations. The degradation of SOC quality in successive rotation soils may be attributed to worse environmental conditions resulted from disturbance that related to ＂slash and burn＂ site preparation. Being highly correlated with soil microbial properties, the cellulose/total carbohydrates ratio as an effective indicator of changes in availability of SOC to microbial biomass brought by management practices in forest soils.

Active organic carbon pool of coniferous and broad-leaved forest soils in the mountainous areas of Beijing

In order to explore the effects of different forest types on active soil carbon pool, the amounts and density of soil organic carbon （SOC） were studied at different soil horizons under typical coniferous and broad-leaved forests in the mountainous area of Beijing. The results showed that the amount of total SOC, readily oxidizable carbon and particulate organic carbon decreased with increasing depths of soil horizons and the amounts at depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm in broad-leaved forest was clearly higher than that in coniferous forests. The trend of a decrease in SOC density with increasing depth of the soil horizon was similar to that of the amount of SOC. However, no regular trend was found for SOC density at different depths between coniferous forest and broad-leaved forests. The ratio of readily oxidizable carbon to total amount of SOC ranged from 0.36-0.45 and the ratio of particulate organic carbon to total amount of SOC from 0.28-0.73; the ratios decreased with increasing depths of soil horizons. Active SOC was significantly correlated with total SOC; the relationship between readily oxidizable carbon and particulate organic carbon was significant. A broad-leaved forest may produce more SOC than a coniferous forest.

Changes in soil organic carbon,nitrogen and sulphur along a slope gradient in apple orchard soils of Kashmir Himalaya

Accumulation and losses of soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN)and sulphur(S)influence food security and global warming.Therefore,their spatial distribution and variability at regional scale,and their relation to topographical variables are of great interest.In this study,the variability of SOC,TN and S content was evaluated in apple orchard soils of Kashmir region,at three depths(D1:0-10,D2:10-20,and D3:20-30 cm)on slope gradient i.e.:flat,medium,and high.With an increase in slope,a significant decrease of SOC and TN was observed,with concentration of SOC and TN recorded highest(14.3±2.06 g kg-1&0.97±0.35 g kg-1)in flat slope orchards and lowest(9.6±2.07 g kg-1&0.84±0.41 g kg-1)in high slope orchards.On stock basis,the values recorded for flat,medium,and high slope orchards,for SOC and TN were 54.62±4.24 Mg ha-1&0.38±0.06 Mg ha-1,44.13±5.11 Mg ha-1&0.32±0.09 Mg ha-1,and 38.73±5.94 Mg ha-1&0.28±0.10,respectively.The differences for S concentration and stocks were modest,with flat(0.21±0.15 mg kg-1&0.09±0.0.003 Mg ha-1)>high(0.16±0.07 mg kg-1&0.06±0.007 Mg ha-1)>medium(0.12±0.04 mg kg-1&0.075±0.009 Mg ha-1).Across slopes,SOC,TN and S decreased with increasing soil depth,suggesting clear downward trend.Overall,SOC and TN increased with the increase of altitude,precipitation and clay content while its relationship with soil acidity and soil bulk density was negative.The findings may provide scientific basis to structure agricultural development plans or prioritize regions for soil conservation efforts.

The Research of Forest Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation in Dabie Mountain

In subtropical to warm temperate transitional zone of the Dabie Mountains hinterland forest topsoil as the research object this text,through the different levels of soil bulk density,organic carbon content of the determination of analytical studies in the area of forest surface soil organic carbon density.Because of the ecological role of small environment,the study area within the soil bulk density increased with depth,surface soil porosity,and bulk density from top to bottom in 0.8.All measuring points are the 0-10 cm surface layer soil organic carbon content are highest,content between 67.232-61.940 g/kg,this,because the forest soil organic carbon important source withers and falls in the vegetation stack and rotten.Different measuring point organic carbon along with depth change characteristic slightly different,low elevation the measuring point soil organic carbon content increases the monotonous drop along with the depth,the elevation is high,the measuring point slightly has in the 30-40 cm depth content increases.The comprehensive bulk specific gravity factor computation,the 0-40 cm soil organic carbon total content slightly has along with altitude above sea level’s rise increases,each square meter organic carbon content between 16 560.5-18 354.6 g,studies the region 0-40 cm soil organic carbon content mean value by 3 measuring points mean value achievement,then this region 0-40 cm soil organic carbon density approximately 174.3 t/hm2;Refers to the related research between the surface layer and the 0-100 cm soil layer organic carbon content relational reckoning,studies the region 0-100 cm soil organic carbon density to be possible to reach 233.9 t/hm2,it indicated that the Dabie Mountain area forest soil system has the giant organic carbon capacity.

Organic Carbon Storage in the Tropical Peat Soils and Its Impact on Climate Change

Soil carbon is one of the essential elements for soil quality, holding soil nutrients for plant uptake, soil conservation, and overall the natural soil systems that are the fundamental requirements for the soil security, and food production. Moreover, Peat soils are the vital storehouses of organic carbon where there is a scope to use this carbon for mitigating climate change. In this study, we consider three major soil series of peat soils in Bangladesh: sapric peat, hemic peat, and fabric peat. Single study on the estimation of organic carbon stocks in the peat soils of Bangladesh was conducted in the 1970s. For understanding the carbon emission, we conducted the same peat soils up to 100 cm depths. The research shows that the organic carbon in peat soils in Bangladesh was about 0.12 Pg in 2018 whereas it was about 0.25 Pg during the 1970s. So, it has observed that soil organic carbon loss is alarming in the tropical country like Bangladesh and the half of the total organic carbon has already reduced by the last 50 years. These reduced carbons have huge impact on climate change and global warming. It has also found that the carbon storage percentage is higher with the increasing soil profile depth from the soil surface. So, the management should be considered not only the surface soils but also the sub-surface soils. Another relationship found between the bulk density and carbon storage is inversely proportional (r = &#8722;0.65) in the peats soils. These peat soils are losing their carbon due to the decrease of inundation level by climate change, intensive agricultural and even used as fuel for cooking purposes by the local stakeholders. There were no regulations, maintenances, laws, even the evaluation and assessment of carbon storage was not appropriately estimated in Bangladesh. By representing the carbon percentage data and their changes over times will help to develop and implement the proper mitigation action which may improve soil health, soil quality, food security, and mitigation of climate changes.

Organic Carbon Storage in Evergreen Oak Forest Ecosystems of the Middle and High Moroccan Atlas Areas

We report carbon stock in biomass, litter and soil estimated for six locations in natural Quercus ilex L. stands of the Middle and High Moroccan Atlas. Twenty trees at each location were selected according to their diameter classes and felled to measure the biomass of trunk, branches, twigs and leaves and determine allometric relationships. Soil was sampled in five depths (0 - 15, 15 - 30, 30 - 50, 50 - 70 and 70 - 100 cm) and litterfall production measured in all tree stands. The total carbon stock in above-ground biomass ranged between 17 Mg&#183ha&#451 in A&#239t Aamar stand (High Atlas) and 91 Mg&#183ha&#451 in Ksiba stand (Middle Atlas). Perennial organs (trunk, branches and twigs) stored over 95% of the tree carbon stock. Soil organic carbon concentrations ranged from 0.01% (in 70 - 100 cm in all stands) to 8.1% (in 0 - 15 cm in the Ajdir stand in Middle Atlas). The total organic carbon stock in the soil ranged between 141.4 t&#183ha&#451 in Ajdir and 24.6 t&#183ha&#451 in Asloul. The litter contained 0.2 Mg C ha&#451 in the clearing (C2) stand of High Atlas and 14.3 Mg C ha&#451 in (Ajdir) of carbon. The best fitted model for predicting carbon stock in tree biomass was obtained by applying the allometric equation Y = aXb for each biomass fraction and stand, where Y is the aboveground biomass (dry weight) and X is the DBH (Mean diameter at breast height, 1.30 m). These previous data obtained in the present study confirm the important function of these natural forests as longterm C sinks, in forest biomass, litter and soil. The potential long term C storage of these systems is moderately high, especially in less-intensively managed forests that include large trees. The established relationship between DBH and carbon stock in different tree organs can be used for forest carbon accounting, and also synthesize available information on oak forest as a sink for atmospheric CO2, and identify the management options that may enhance the capacity for C capture/ storage in forest soils.

Study on the Carbon Stocks of Soils under Five Kinds of Plantations

Based on the field data and laboratory analysis,we studied the soil organic carbon storage and vertical distribution features about five kinds of plantations in Xuyi,and the results showed that soil carbon density in the five forest types changed greatly,with a range of 0. 8-3. 04 kg / m2 for five soil layers. Furthermore,soil carbon density decreased generally with the depth,as well as carbon content. In the whole soil profile,the range of carbon density in these five forests was from 4. 79 kg / m2 to 5. 62 kg / m2. However,60% carbon was concentrated in40 cm depth of soil. The calculated result of soil organic carbon reserve was as follows: Cupressus lusitanica( 50. 264 t / hm2),hackberry( 47. 859 t/hm2),Populus L.( 53. 216 t/hm2),Red bayberry( 49. 581 t/hm2),Amygdalus persica L.( 58. 202 t/hm2),with the average storage of 51. 824 t / hm2,lower than the national average level,so,people should pay attention to the artificial forest tending and management.According to the above analysis,this paper concluded that the afforestation was the effective measure for increasing the soil organic carbon accumulation,and the effects of planting the indigenous tree species Cupressus lusitanica and Amygdalus persica L. were best.

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen content of density fractions and effect of meadow degradation to soil carbon and nitrogen of fractions in alpine Kobresia meadow

This research was conducted on the non-disturbed native alpine Kobresia meadow(YF) and the severely degraded meadow(SDL) of Dari County of Qinghai Province.By a density fractionation approach,each soil sample was divided into two fractions:light fraction(LF) and heavy fraction(HF).The obtained fractions were analyzed for organic carbon(OC) and nitrogen(N) concentrations.The results showed:(1) the OC concentration in HF and LF was 3.84% and 28.63% respectively while the nitrogen concentration in HF and LF was 0.362% and 1.192% respectively in 0-10 cm depth.C:N ratio was 10.6 in HF and 23.8 in LF respectively.(2) As far as the ratio of OC in given fraction to that in gross sample was concerned,dominance of OC in HF was obvious in the whole soil profile.OC in HF increased from 78.95% to 90.33%,while OC in LF decreased from 21.05% to 9.68% with depths.(3) Soil total OC amounted to 47.47 in YF while 17.63 g.kg-1 in SDL,in which the OC content in HF decreased from 37.31 to 16.01 g.kg-1 while OC content in LF decreased from 10.01 to 1.62 g.kg-1.In other words,results of OC and N content show meadow degradation led to the loss of 57% OC in HF and 84% OC in LF from originally native ecosystem on alpine meadow.In addition,meadow degradation led to the loss of 43% N in HF and 79% N in LF from originally native ecosystem on alpine meadow.(4) The main reason for loss of C and N in LF during meadow degradation was not attributed to the decrease of OC and N concentration in LF and LF,but to the decrease in LF dry weight.Loss of N was far lower than loss of C in HF.This may suggest that there is difference in protection mode of C and N in HF.

Effects of stand density on soil respiration and labile organic carbon in different aged Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations

Background:The carbon pools of forest soils play a vital role in global carbon sequestration and emissions.Forest management can regulate the sequestration and output of forest soil carbon pools to a certain extent;however,the kinetics of the effects of forest density on soil carbon pools require further investigation.Methods:We established sample plots with stand density gradients in three different aged Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations and quantified the soil respiration,soil organic carbon(SOC),soil dissolved organic carbon(DOC),microbial biomass carbon(MBC),light fraction organic carbon(LFOC),and readily oxidized carbon(ROC).Results and conclusions:During the growth and development of plantations,stand density is an essential factor that impacts soil respiration and its associated elements.Moderate density was observed to promote both the soil and heterotrophic respiration rates and the sequestration of MBC and LFOC,whereas it inhibited the sequestration of ROC.The soil,heterotrophic,and autotrophic respiration rates of older forest stands were relatively rapid,whereas the contents of SOC,MBC,LFOC,DOC,and ROC were higher and more sensitive to changes in stand density.The MBC,LFOC,and ROC in soil labile organic carbon were closely related to both the soil and heterotrophic respiration,but not the SOC.Among them,the LFOC and MBC played the roles of“warehouse”and“tool”and were significantly correlated with soil and heterotrophic respiration.The ROC,as a“raw material”,exhibited a significantly negative correlation with the soil and heterotrophic respiration.When the soil and heterotrophic respiration rates were rapid,the ROC content in the soil maintained the low level of a“dynamically stabilized”state.The stand density regulated heterotrophic respiration by affecting the soil labile organic carbon,which provided an essential path for the stand density to regulate soil respiration.

Capacity of soil to protect organic carbon and biochemical characteristics of density fractions in Ziwulin Haplic Greyxems soil

Physical protection is one of the important ways to stabilize organic carbon in soils. In order to under- stand the role of soils as a carbon sink or source in global climatic change and carbon cycles and properly manage soils as a carbon sink, we ought to know how many organic car- bon (OC) in a given soil could be protected. By a density fractionation approach and ultrasonic technique, each soil sample was divided into three fractions: free light fraction (free-LF), occluded fraction (occluded-LF) and heavy frac- tion (HF). The obtained fractions were analyzed for total OC content, carbohydrate content and recalcitrant OC content. The results showed: (ⅰ) In the whole soil profile, dominance of OC consistently decreased in the following order: HF, free-LF, occluded-LF. This suggested that OC in soils were mostly protected. From 0—10 to 60—80 cm horizons, the OC in free-LF decreased from 25.27% to 3.72%, while OC in HF they were increased from 72.57% to 95.39%. The OC in oc- cluded-LF was between 2.16% and 0.89%. (ⅱ) Organic carbon recalcitrance in free-LF was similar to that in HF, and was even higher than that in HF below the surface hori- zon. This suggested that free-LF was not always the most fresh and non-decomposed fraction. OM quality of HF was higher than that of free-LF in the surface 10 cm below, namely the protected OM had higher quality than free OM in these horizons.

Three-dimensional modelling of soil organic carbon density and carbon sequestration potential estimation in a dryland farming region of China

Soil organic carbon density(SOCD)and soil organic carbon sequestration potential(SOCP)play an important role in carbon cycle and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.However,the majority of studies focused on a two-dimensional scale,especially lacking of field measured data.We employed the interpolation method with gradient plane nodal function(GPNF)and Shepard(SPD)across a range of parameters to simulate SOCD with a 40 cm soil layer depth in a dryland farming region(DFR)of China.The SOCP was estimated using a carbon saturation model.Results demonstrated the GPNF method was proved to be more effective in simulating the spatial distribution of SOCD at the vertical magnification multiple and search point values of 3.0×106 and 25,respectively.The soil organic carbon storage(SOCS)of 40 cm and 20 cm soil layers were estimated as 22.28×10^(11)kg and 13.12×10^(11)kg simulated by GPNF method in DFR.The SOCP was estimated as 0.95×10^(11)kg considered as a carbon sink at the 20–40 cm soil layer.Furthermore,the SOCP was estimated as–2.49×10^(11)kg considered as a carbon source at the 0–20 cm soil layer.This research has important values for the scientific use of soil resources and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.

Fertilization increases paddy soil organic carbon density

Field experiments provide an opportunity to study the effects of fertilization on soil organic carbon(SOC) sequestration.We sampled soils from a long-term(25 years) paddy experiment in subtropical China.The experiment included eight treatments:(1) check,(2) PK,(3) NP,(4) NK,(5) NPK,(6) 7F:3M(N,P,K inorganic fertilizers+30% organic N),(7) 5F:5M(N,P,K inorganic fertilizers+50% organic N),(8) 3F:7M(N,P,K inorganic fertilizers+70% or-ganic N).Fertilization increased SOC content in the plow layers compared to the non-fertilized check treatment.The SOC density in the top 100 cm of soil ranged from 73.12 to 91.36 Mg/ha.The SOC densities of all fertilizer treatments were greater than that of the check.Those treatments that combined inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments had greater SOC densities than those receiving only inorganic fertilizers.The SOC density was closely correlated to the sum of the soil carbon converted from organic amendments and rice residues.Carbon sequestration in paddy soils could be achieved by balanced and combined fertilization.Fertilization combining both inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments is an effective sustainable practice to sequestrate SOC.

Spatial Distribution of Surface Soil Organic Carbon Density and Related Factors along an Urbanization Gradient in Beijing

Urban surface soil has a unique set of structures and processes that affect surface soil organic carbon density(SOCdensity) and its spatial variations. Using Beijing as a case study, and assisted by field investigations and experiments, we analyzed the spatial distribution of SOCdensity in different land use types and functional regions, and assessed associated factors such as urbanization level, the physiochemical properties of soil and plant configurations. The present study aims to provide useful information about the mechanisms driving soil organic carbon and climate change in developing and developed areas in urbanized regions like Beijing. Results indicate that P is the main factor positively influencing SOCdensity in most regions. Because of the specific interference directly related to human beings in urban areas, with decreases in the urbanization level, more physiochemical factors of soil can influence SOCdensity. SOCdensity under grasses is not significantly different from that under other plant compositions. Urbanization processes decrease the heterogeneity of the spatial pattern of SOCdensity in most land use types, but increased its contents when the area reached a developed level in Beijing. More factors related to human interference and spatial variation of surface soil carbon storage, especially under impervious land in urban areas, should be considered in future studies.

内蒙古草原区土壤碳密度(SOCD)和氮密度(TND)的影响因素分析

在内蒙古草原区选取94个样点，涵盖耕地、退耕地、人工林和草原4种土地利用类型，根据土壤质地将草原细分为沙质草原和非沙质草原。通过对这些样点土壤有机碳密度（SOCD）和全氮密度（TND）的研究，发现在内蒙古草原区，SOCD主要受到土壤质地的影响，黏粒（〈2gm）、粉砂（2～16μm）和细粉砂（16～63μm）的含量越高，SOCD越高。而TND同时受到土壤质地和土地利用类型的影响，分布在非沙质土壤的草原具有最高的TND。耕作不会导致SOCD显著降低，但是会造成TND降低。人工林不能显著提高土壤养分含量，相反，由于人工林对养分和水分的需求很大，可能导致土壤肥力的降低。此外，草原区温度越高，土壤养分越低，这预示着在全球变暖的背景下，这一地区的土壤可能成为重要的碳源。植被退化越严重，土壤养分越低，因此保护草原区的植被免受过度放牧的影响非常重要。

Regional Simulation of Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics for Dry Farmland in East China by Coupling a 1:500000 Soil Database with the Century Model

Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural soils influence soil quality and greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Dry farmland covers more than 70% of the whole cropland area in China and plays an important role in mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In this study, 4109 dry farmland soil polygons were extracted using spatial overlay analysis of the soil layer (1:500000) and the land use layer (1:500000) to support Century model simulations of SOC dynamics for dry farmland in Anhui Province, East China from 1980 to 2008. Considering two field-validation sites, the Century model performed relatively well in modeling SOC dynamics for dry farmland in the province. The simulated results showed that the area-weighted mean soil organic carbon density (SOCD) of dry farmland increased from 18.77 Mg C ha1 in 1980 to 23.99 Mg C ha1 in 2008 with an average sequestration rate of 0.18 Mg C ha1 year?1. Approximately 94.9% of the total dry farmland area sequestered carbon while 5.1% had carbon lost. Over the past 29 years, the net SOC gain in dry farmland soils of the province was 19.37 Tg, with an average sequestration rate of 0.67 Tg C year1. Augmentation of SOC was primarily due to increased consumption of nitrogen fertilizer and farmyard manure. Moreover, SOC dynamics were highly differentiated among dry farmland soil groups. The integration of the Century model with a fine-scale soil database approach could be conveniently utilized as a tool for the accurate simulation of SOC dynamics at the regional scale.