The importance of non-carbonate mineral weathering as a soil formation mechanism within a karst weathering profile in the SPECTRA Critical Zone Observatory, Guizhou Province,China

Soil degradation, including rocky desertification,of the karst regions in China is severe. Karst landscapes are especially sensitive to soil degradation as carbonate rocks are nutrient-poor and easily eroded. Understanding the balance between soil formation and soil erosion is critical for long-term soil sustainability, yet little is known about the initial soil forming processes on karst terrain. Herein we examine the initial weathering processes of several types of carbonate bedrock containing varying amounts of non-carbonate minerals in the SPECTRA Critical Zone Observatory, Guizhou Province, Southwest China. We compared the weathering mechanisms of the bedrock to the mass transfer of mineral nutrients in a soil profile developed on these rocks and found that soil formation and nutrient contents are strongly dependent upon the weathering of interbedded layers of more silicate-rich bedrock(marls). Atmospheric inputs from dust were also detected.

A review of POPs in the fragile critical zone of the Tibetan Plateau: transport and transformation

The near-surface environment of the Tibetan Plateau is a fragile critical zone. Our understanding of the transport and transformation of persistent organic pollutants(POPs) in the ecosystem has significantly improved with research conducted in recent decades. In the current study,POP concentrations in soils logarithmically decreased and fractionated with increasing distance from the source area,patterns attributed to air–soil exchange. Transport from soils resulted in the enrichment of POP concentrations in plants and sediments. The enantiomeric fraction indicated that transformation of POPs in soils was significantly correlated with altitude. At the same time, the chiral signature of POPs in soils was maintained from soils to sediments, while the chiral transformation from soils to plants was found to be complex.

Geochemical characteristics and growth suitability assessment of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi in the Earth's critical zone of North China

Geochemical differentiation of soils has a series of consequences on plant and places pressure on the ecological environment.The quantitative evaluation of element migration in the Earth’s critical zone is a challenging task.In this study,two demonstration study areas of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi were selected,and multiple chemical weathering indexes,chemical loss fraction,mass migration coefficients and biological enrichment coefficient method were used to assess the ecological and geochemical suitability.The results show that for the element of Fe,Zn,Se,Cu,Co,Ni,Mo and Ge,the degree of weathering and soil maturation,were greater in the rhyolitic tuff area than in the Plagioclase gneiss area.In both research sites,the heavy metal level of samples in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi did not exceed the standard limits.The plagioclase gneiss region’s surface soil environment was more alkaline,and the content of soil organic matter was lower,resulting in a higher bioenrichment intensity of Ge,Co,Cu,and Se elements in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi than in the rhyolite-tuff area.The elements of Cd,Nb,Mo,Pb and As are considerably enriched in the soil of the plagioclase gneiss area but lost by leaching in the soil of the rhyolite tuff area,which is connected to the interplay of elemental abundance and human impact in the parent materials.This study provides a good example of how to assess growth suitability of Chinese medicinal materials in the Earth’s critical zone.

Role of hydro-geochemical functions on karst critical zone hydrology for sustainability of water resources and ecology in Southwest China

Focusing on sustainability of water resources and ecology in the complex karst critical zone, we illustrated functions of the hydro-geochemical analysis on hydrology from the aspects of connection and interaction among hydrology–vegetation–soils/rock fractures along the karst subsurface profile. We reviewed isotopic and geochemical interpretations on tracing water sources for plant uptake, quantifying watershed outlet flow composition and residence times, and evaluating long-term evolution among climate–landscape–hydrology in the karst critical zone. In this paper, the application of the hydro-geochemical analysis on the above aspects in the karst areas of southwest China was summarized.

Seasonal shifts in the solute ion ratios of vadose zone rock moisture from the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory

One of the greatest challenges in critical zone studies is to document the moisture dynamics, water flux,and solute chemistry of the unsaturated, fractured and weathered bedrock that lies between the soil and groundwater table. The central impediment to quantifying this component of the subsurface is the difficulty associated with direct observations. Here, we report solute chemistry as a function of depth collected over a full year across the shale-derived vadose zone of the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory using a set of novel sub-horizontal wellbores,referred to as the vadose zone monitoring system. The results of this first geochemical glimpse into the deep vadose zone indicate a dynamic temporal and depth-resolved structure. Major cation concentrations reflect seasonal changes in precipitation and water saturation, and normalized ratios span the full range of values reported for the world's largest rivers.

A new statistical model of wave heights based on the concept of wave breaking critical zone

When waves propagate from deep water to shallow water, wave heights and steepness increase and then waves roll back and break. This phenomenon is called surf. Currently, the present statistical calculation model of surf was derived mainly from the wave energy conservation equation and the linear wave dispersion relation, but it cannot reflect accurately the process which is a rapid increasing in wave height near the broken point. So, the concept of a surf breaking critical zone is presented. And the nearshore is divided as deep water zone, shallow water zone, surf breaking critical zone and after breaking zone. Besides, the calculation formula for the height of the surf breaking critical zone has founded based on flume experiments, thereby a new statistical calculation model on the surf has been established. Using the new model, the calculation error of wave height maximum is reduced from 17.62% to 6.43%.

Comparing mineral weathering and elemental transport between earth's critical zone with different parent rocks in Yanshan Mountain,Hebei province,China

Bedrock weathering performs a significant influence on the evolution of Earth’s critical zone.Carbonate rock(dolostone),metamorphic rock(gneiss),and sedimentary rock(sandstone)geological formations in Yanshan Mountain,Hebei Province,are taken as objects to probe the controlling of geological formations on weathering characteristics,migration,and enrichment of elements as well as structure of Earth’s critical zone under the identical climate conditions through geological field survey,analysis on minerals component,element distribution in the weathering profile.The dolostone geological formation(DGF)is lithologically dominated by dolostone,characterized by the strongest and predominant chemical weathering.During bedrock weathering and pedogenesis,DGF is marked by significant depletion of CaO,Mg O,S,Mn,Mo and enrichment of N,K,Fe_(2)O_(3),and Zn with concentrations of P,Cu,and B keeping stable.Shortage of soil-forming materials and significant loss are driven by soil erosion,which results in thin regolith and soil.The soil thickness is less than 10 cm,and the regolith thickness is less than 30 cm.The vegetation community is predominantly rock arbor or brush,which is calcivorous and tolerant of barrenness.Plagiogneiss is a dominant rock type of gneiss geological formation(GGF),characterized by the weakest weathering and fast chemical and physical weathering rate.GGF is masked by significant depletion of P,K,CaO,MgO,Fe_(2)O_(3),Mn,Cu and enrichment of N,S,Mo,and B,with contents of Zn keeping stable.Both soil and regolith developed in GGF are relatively thick for one of the reasons that biotite expands during weathering.The soil thickness is more than 50 cm,and the regolith thickness ranges from 100 to 200 cm.The vegetation community is predominantly high-quality economic forests and various arbors because of the enrichment of nutrients in GGF.Sandstone is primarily a rock type of sandstone geological formation(SGF),characterized by moderate weathering degree and slow chemical weathering rate.SGF is marked by significant depletion of P,K,CaO,MgO,Fe_(2)O_(3),and enrichment of N,S,Mn,Cu,Zn,and Mo,with fluctuant changes of Zn and B.The thickness of soil developed in SGF varies between that of DGF and GGF.The soil thickness ranges from 30 to 50 cm,and the regolith thickness ranges from 50 to 100 cm.Chinese pines are widely spread on the shady slopes of SGF.Research provides theoretical support for screening dominant ecological resource areas,ecological industry development and ecological protection and restoration for Yanshan Mountain,Hebei Province.

Carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus coupling relationships and their influencing factors in the critical zone of Dongting Lake wetlands,China

Wetland is a transition zone between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,and is the source and sink of various biogenic elements in the earth’s epipelagic zone.In order to investigate the driving force and coupling mechanism of carbon(C),nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)migration in the critical zone of lake wetland,this paper studies the natural wetland of Dongting Lake area,through measuring and analysing the C,N and P contents in the wetland soil and groundwater.Methods of Pearson correlation,non-linear regression and machine learning were employed to analyse the influencing factors,and to explore the coupling patterns of the C,N and P in both soils and groundwater,with data derived from soil and water samples collected from the wetland critical zone.The results show that the mean values of organic carbon(TOC),total nitrogen(TN)and total phosphorus(TP)in groundwater are 1.59 mg/L,4.19 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L,respectively,while the mean values of C,N and P in the soils are 18.05 g/kg,0.86 g/kg and 0.52 g/kg.The results also show that the TOC,TN and TP in the groundwater are driven by a variety of environmental factors.However,the concentrations of C,N and P in the soils are mainly related to vegetation abundance and species which influence each other.In addition,the fitted curves of wetland soil C-N and C-P appear to follow the power function and S-shaped curve,respectively.In order to establish a multivariate regression model,the soil N and P contents were used as the input parameters and the soil C content used as the output one.By comparing the prediction effects of machine learning and nonlinear regression modelling,the results show that coupled relationship equation for the C,N and P contents is highly reliable.Future modelling of the coupled soil and groundwater elemental cycles needs to consider the complexity of hydrogeological conditions and to explore the quantitative relationships among the influencing factors and chemical constituents.

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.

Behavior of rare earth elements in granitic profiles, eastern Tibetan Plateau, China

Rare earth elements(REEs) can record geologic and geochemical processes. We studied two granitic regolith profiles from different climatic zones in eastern Tibetan Plateau and found that(1)∑ RREEs ranged from119.65 to 275.33 mg/kg in profile ND and5.11–474.55 mg/kg in profile GTC, with average values of205.79 and 161 mg/kg, respectively. ∑RREEs was higher in accumulation horizon and semi-regolith;(2) Influenced by climate, the fractionation of light and heavy REEs(LREEs and HREEs) varied during weathering. The ratio of LREEs/HREEs in pedosphere was higher than semi-regolith in tropical profile;(3) A negative Eu anomaly in both profiles was the result of bedrock weathering. A positive Ce anomaly was observed in all layers of profile ND, and only in the upper 100 cm of profile GTC. This indicates that redox conditions along the regolith profile varied considerably with climate.(4) Normalized by chondrite,LREEs accumulated much more than HREEs; REE distribution curves were right-leaning with a V-type Eu anomaly in both profiles.

CO flux of soil respiration in natural recovering karst abandoned farmland in Southwest China

To estimate carbon sequestration potential in the karst area,soil respiration in a natural recovering karst abandoned farmland in Shawan,Puding,Guizhou,southwest China was continuously and automatically monitored for more than two years.The results show that the CO2flux of soil respiration(2.63±1.89 lmol m^-2s-^1)is higher in the karst area than in non-karst areas under similar conditions but that regional value(1.32 lmol m-2s-1)is lower because of larger rock fragment coverage(~50%).A the same time,the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration(Q10)in this study area is significantly higher than that of non-karst areas under similar conditions.Soil respiration has an obvious temporal variation,which is reflected in a significant exponential relationship between soil respiration and soil temperature,but the relationship between soil respiration and soil moisture is very complex.Especially soil respiration has an obvious spatial variation,which is likely affected by different diffusion or water-rock reaction processes.

Conversion relationship of rainfall-soil moisture-groundwater in Quaternary thick cohesive soil in Jianghan Plain,Hubei Province,China

The scientific field test site of rainfall-soil moisture-groundwater conversion in Dabie Mountain Area–Jianghan Plain is located in the northern region of the Jianghan Plain,the transition zone between the Dabie Mountain Area and Jianghan Plain.It’s a great field test site to study the material and energy exchange among rainfall,soil moisture,and groundwater of the Earth’s critical zone in subtropical monsoon climate plain areas.This paper analyzed the connection between rainfall and volume water content(VWC)of soil at different depths of several soil profiles,and the dynamic feature of groundwater was discussed,which reveals the rainfall infiltration recharge of Quaternary Upper Pleistocene strata.The results show that the Quaternary Upper Pleistocene aquifer groundwater accepts a little direct rainfall recharge,while the lateral recharge is the main supplement source.There were 75 effective rainfall events among 120 rainfall events during the monitoring period,with an accumulated amount of 672.9 mm,and the percentages of effective rainfall amount and duration time were 62.50%and 91.56%,respectively.The max evaporation depth at the upper part in Quaternary cohesive soil was no less than 1.4 m.The soil profile was divided into four zones:(1)The sensitive zone of rainfall infiltration within 1.4 m,where the material and energy exchange frequently near the interface between atmosphere and soil;(2)the buffer zone of rainfall infiltration between 1.4 m and 3.5 m;(3)the migration zone of rainfall infiltration between 3.5 m and 5.0 m;and(4)the rainfall infiltration and groundwater level co-influenced zone below 5.0 m.The results revealed the reaction of soil moisture and groundwater to rainfall in the area covered by cohesive soil under humid climate in Earth’s critical zone,which is of great theoretical and practical significance for groundwater resources evaluation and development,groundwater environmental protection,ecological environmental improvement,drought disaster prevention,and flood disaster prevention in subtropical monsoon climate plain areas.

Element migration and enrichment characteristics of bedrock–regolith–soil–plant continuum system in the chestnut planting area,Chengde,China

In order to probe the geochemical relationship between the quality of economic crops and ecological geochemistry,this project studies the chestnut production area of Chengde City,Hebei Province,China.The chemical weathering index,chemical depletion fraction CDF,mass transfer coefficient,and bioconcentration coefficient were used to quantify the characteristics of element migration and accumulation in the BRSPC(Bedrock–Regolith–Soil–Plant Continuum system)system of gneiss formation area and dolomite formation area.The results show that the soil CaO,SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Na_(2)O elements in the gneiss construction area are abundant,and the B,Ge,S,and Mo elements are relatively lacking;the soil B,Mo and Ge elements in the dolomite construction area are abundant,and the SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Na_(2)O elements are slightly lower;The weathering intensity of gneiss is low-medium,with the relatively high mobility and apparent transformation of Se,B,V,S,Mn,and Mo.The weathering intensity of dolostone is low,with the relatively high mobility and apparent transformation of Na_(2)O,P,and Ni.Chestnut is rich in Cu,Ni,Se,and Ge,walnut has a high content of Mo,and hawthorn is rich in Se and B.The contents of Mn in chestnut are 1–2 times higher in walnut and hawthorn.It lays the theoretical foundation for the industry optimization of special industrial crop planting in Chengde according to our research.

Quantifying aluminosilicate manganese release and dissolution rates across organic ligand treatments for rocks, minerals,and soils

Manganese is ubiquitous in terrestrial environments and most studies have focused on dissolution of Mn oxides,but aluminosilicates also release Mn.Here,we evaluated oxic Mn dissolution from six rocks and minerals(amphibolite,anorthosite,kaolinite,kyanite,muscovite,orthoclase feldspar) and soils from four Critical Zone Observatories(CZOs) under four LMWOLs treatments(catechol,citric acid,oxalic acid,control).Overall rock and mineral Mn mass-normalized release was 1.4 ± 0.5 nM μM^(-1) 14 d^(-1) and dissolution rate was 2403 ± 935 nM m^(-2) d^(-1) x 10^(3).Overall CZO soil Mn release was 16.7±5.1 nM μM^(-1) 14 d^(-1) and dissolution rate was 7010 ± 2570 nM m^(-2) d^(-1) × 10^(3).Anorthosite and kyanite had the highest Mn dissolution rates but kaolinite and kyanite had the highest Mn mass-normalized release rates.We hypothesize the structural location of Mn,surface area,and potential inclusions of highly-weatherable-phases control Mn dissolution for rocks and minerals.CZO soils with the highest solid phase Mn had the highest Mn release and dissolution rates.Citric acid and catechol had higher Mn release and dissolution rates than the control while oxalic acid did not.For rocks and minerals,we found pH 4 had higher Mn release and dissolution rates than pH6,but not for control treatments without LMWOL.Our study highlights that the abundance of Mn drove Mn release in soils but not rocks and minerals.Moreover,LMWOLs are important for Mn dissolution,even under acidic pH conditions.

MECHANISM AND CATASTROPHE THEORY ANALYSIS OF CIRCULAR TUNNEL ROCKBURST

Mechanism of circular tunnel rockburst is that, when the carrying capacity of the centralized zone of plastic deformation in limiting state reduces, the comparatively intact part in rock mass unloads by way of elasticity; rockburst occurs immediately when the elastic energy released by the comparatively intact part exceeds the energy dissipated by plastic deformation. The equivalent strain was taken as a state variable to establish a catastrophe model of tunnel rockburst, and the computation expression of the earthquake energy released by tunnel rockburst was given. The analysis shows that, the conditions of rockburst occurrence are relative to rock＇s ratio of elastic modulus to descendent modulus and crack growth degree of rocks; to rock mass with specific rockburst tendency, there exists a corresponding critical depth of softened zone, and rockburst occurs when the depth of softened zone reaches.

Mechanics analysis on the conditions of rock burst occurrence in the coal mass of roadway rib

According to the rock burst features occurred in the coal mass of roadway rib in one mine,the mechanics model of coal mass and roof structure system along the edge of goaf was founded to analyze the stress of roof rock layer,so the subside curve of roof rock layer was deduced.Furthermore,the stability of coal and rock system were analyzed,the critical load and critical resistance zone were used to judge the danger degree of rock burst occurrence.The influence of coal mass strength,brittleness degree,coal seam thickness,roof thickness,suspending length,equivalent shear module on the critical load, critical resistance zone was confirmed.So the rock burst occurrence conditions of coal mass in roadway rib mainly depend on mining depth,coal seam thickness and hard roof and floor,which are decided by the above studies,and successfully applied in prediction and prevention of rock burst in this mine.

Carbon budget and balance critical processes of the regional landwater-air interface:Indicating the earth system’s carbon neutrality

Regional processes on land-water-air interface carbon(C)budget and balance that interconnect the land and sea are in fact C neutrality critical processes within the earth system.It is therefore essential to quantitatively analyze synergistic landwater-air interface C transport and C exchange processes to gain a deep understanding of the important role that terrestrial ecosystems play in“missing C sink”.This paper systematically analyzes global land-water-air interface C migration processes as well as C budget changes and associated impact mechanisms.It also investigates the important role that these C budgets and C cycling processes play in inland water bodies,respective to C budgets at the land-water-air interface.Moreover,this study reveals the regulatory mechanisms of land-water-air interface C budgets and balances under a background of global climate change.It also quantitatively evaluates the status of China’s regional land-sea-air interface C budgets as well as the C sequestration potential of its lake systems.Finally,this study concludes that the explicit quantification of anthropogenic activity impacts on land-water-air interface C transport and exchange processes is of great significance to global C balances and C neutrality.

Carbon sequestration potential and its eco-service function in the karst area, China

The karst critical zone is an essential component of the carbon （C） pool, constituting the global C cycle. It is referred to as one of the ＂residual land sink＂ that remains largely in- determinate. Karst area （2.2×10^7 km^2） comprises 15% of the world＇s land area, and karst area comprises 3.44~106 km^2 of area in China. Due to the complexity of karst structure and its considerable heterogeneity, C sequestration rate estimations contain large inaccuracies, especially in relation to the different methods used in calculations. Therefore, we reevaluated rock weathering-related C sink estimations in China （approximately 4.74 Tg C yr^-1）, which we calibrated from previous studies. Additionally, we stipulated that more comprehensive re- search on rock-soil-biology-atmosphere continuum C migration is essential to better under- stand C conversion mechanisms based on uncertainty analyses of C sink estimations. Moreover, we stressed that a collective confirmation of chemical methods and simulated models through a combined research effort could at least partially eliminate such uncertainty. Furthermore, integrated C cycling research need a long-term observation of the carbon flux of multi-interfaces. The enhanced capacity of ecosystem C and soil C pools remains an effective way of increasing C sink. Karst ecosystem health and security is crucial to human social de- velopment, accordingly, it is critical that we understand thresholds or potential C sink capacities in karst critical zones now and in the future.

Assessment of Plant-Driven Mineral Weathering in an Aggrading Forested Watershed in Subtropical China

Plant growth contributes to mineral weathering, but this contribution remains poorly understood. Weathering rates in an aggrading forested watershed in subtropical China were studied by means of geochemical mass balance. Rainfall, dry deposition, and streamwater were monitored from March 2007 to February 2012. Samples of vegetative components, rainfall, dry deposition, streamwater, representative soils, and parent rock were collected and determined for mass balance calculation and clarifying plant-driven weathering mechanisms stoichiometrically. Ignoring biomass, weathering rates of Ca^2＋, Mg^2＋, Na^＋, and Si were 25.6, 10.7, 2.8, and 51.0 kg ha^-1 year^-1, respectively. Taking biomass into consideration, weathering rates of Ca^2＋, Mg^2＋, and Si and the sum of weathering rates of Ca^2＋, Mg^2＋, Na^＋, K^＋, and Si were 2.6, 1.8, 1.2, and 1.5-fold higher than those ignoring biomass, respectively. This is attributed to plant-driven weathering due to the nutrient （e.g., Ca^2＋, Mg^2＋, and K^＋） absorption by vegetation and substantial proton production during assimilation of these nutrients, with the former acting as a pump for removing weathering products and the latter being a source of weathering agents solubilizing mineral components. The same pattern of weathering, i.e., higher rates of weathering with than without including biomass in mass balance calculation, was reported in previous studies; however, the extent to which plants drive weathering rates varied with vegetation types and climatic zones. The documented biological weathering driven by plants is expected to play a critical role in regulating nutrient cycling and material flows within the Earth＇s Critical Zone.

Transforming the Loess Plateau of China

This paper aims to show the importance of land consolidation in transforming the Loess Plateau of China. The paper comprehensively analyzes how over recent decades the Grain for Green Project and Gully Land Consolidation Project jointly transformed the ecology and landscape of the Loess Plateau and the livelihood of its residents. The findings show that these two projects have achieved a balance between green protection, new land creation, and improved food security and livelihood of local people in the hilly areas of China. The paper points out that the successful transformation of the Plateau lies in a holistic approach incorporating various components of the human and natural systems. Finally, the paper highlights the necessity of retaining these two land consolidation projects as part of an ongoing policy in the mountain and hilly areas of China, changing agricultural management to suit the new relationship between humans and the land.