scholarly journals Characteristics of Soil and Organic Carbon Loss Induced by Water Erosion on the Loess Plateau in China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e0154591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongwu Li ◽  
Xiaodong Nie ◽  
Xiaofeng Chang ◽  
Lin Liu ◽  
Liying Sun
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Carbon Loss

Modeling Soil Organic Carbon Loss in Relation to Flow Velocity and Slope on the Loess Plateau of China

2016 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 1341-1351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z.W. Li ◽  
L. Liu ◽  
X.D. Nie ◽  
X.F. Chang ◽  
C. Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Carbon Loss

scholarly journals Soil carbon fractions and enzyme activities under different vegetation types on the Loess Plateau of China

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixin Zhang ◽  
Quanchao Zeng ◽  
Shaoshan An ◽  
Yanghong Dong ◽  
Frédéric Darboux
Keyword(s):  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Sucrase Activity ◽  
Carbon Fractions ◽  
Carbon Fraction

Abstract. Vegetation restoration was effective way of protecting soil erosion and water conservation on the Loess Plateau. Carbon fractions and enzyme activities were sensitive parameters for assessment of soil remediation through revegetation. Forest, forest steppe and grassland soils were collected at 0–5 cm and 5–20 cm soil layers in Yanhe watershed, Shaanxi Province. Urease, sucrase, alkaline phosphatase, soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured. The results showed that carbon fraction contents and enzyme activities in the same soil layer followed the order that forest was higher than others. Carbon fraction contents and enzyme activities appeared that the 0–5 cm was higher than 5–20 cm soil layer. In addition, correlation analysis showed that urease activity was related to SOC, MBC, EOC and DOC at 0–5 cm layer; it was correlated with SOC, MBC and EOC at 5–20 cm layer. Sucrase activity had significant positive relationship with SOC, MBC and EOC. Alkaline phosphatase activity was related to EOC and DOC at 0–5 cm layer; it was correlated with MBC and EOC at 5–20 cm layer. The CCA reflected the relationship between sucrase activity and SOC. The contributions from the various forms of carbon fractions and enzyme activities as evaluated by the canonical coefficient of CV were on the order of SOC > DOC > MBC > EOC; sucrase > urease > alkaline phosphatase. Vegetation type was an important factor influencing the variation of soil enzyme activities and carbon fractions on the Loess Plateau.

scholarly journals Soil organic carbon dynamics following afforestation in the Loess Plateau of China

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 11181-11211 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Lu ◽  
J. Liski ◽  
R. Y. Chang ◽  
A. Akujärvi ◽  
X. Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Successional Stage

Abstract. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon pool and sensitive to land use and cover change; its dynamics is critical for carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. In this study, we combined a modeling approach and field measurements to examine the temporal dynamics of SOC following afforestation of former arable land at six sites under different climatic conditions in the Loess Plateau during 1980–2010. The results showed that the measured mean SOC increased to levels higher than before afforestation when taking the last measurements (i.e., at age 25 to 30 yr), although it decreased in the first few years at the wetter sites. The accumulation rates of SOC were 1.58 to 6.22% yr–1 in the upper 20 cm and 1.62 to 5.15% yr–1 in the upper 40 cm of soil. The simulations reproduced the basic characteristics of measured SOC dynamics, suggesting that litter input and climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) were the major causes for SOC dynamics and the differences among the sites. They explained 88–96, 48–86 and 57–74% of the variations in annual SOC changes at the soil depths of 0–20, 0–40, and 0–100 cm, respectively. Notably, the simulated SOC decreased during the first few years at all the sites, although the magnitudes of decreases were small at the drier sites. This suggested that the modeling may be advantageous in capturing SOC changes at finer time scale. The discrepancy between the simulation and measurement was a result of uncertainties in model structure, data input, and sampling design. Our findings indicated that afforestation promoted soil carbon sequestration at the study sites, which is favorable for further restoration of the vegetation and environment. Afforestation activities should decrease soil disturbances to reduce carbon release in the early stage. The long-term strategy for carbon fixation capability of the plantations should also consider the climate and site conditions, species adaptability, and successional stage of recovery.

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