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Effects of land use and cultivation time on soil organic and inorganic carbon storage in deep soils

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Abstract

The vertical distribution and exchange mechanisms of soil organic and inorganic carbon (SOC, SIC) play an important role in assessing carbon (C) cycling and budgets. However, the impact of land use through time for deep soil C (below 100 cm) is not well known. To investigate deep C storage under different land uses and evaluate how it changes with time, we collected soil samples to a depth of 500 cm in a soil profile in the Gutun watershed on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP); and determined SOC, SIC, and bulk density. The magnitude of SOC stocks in the 0–500 cm depth range fell into the following ranking: shrubland (17.2 kg m−2) > grassland (16.3 kg m−2) > forestland (15.2 kg m−2) > cropland (14.1 kg m−2) > gully land (6.4 kg m−2). The ranking for SIC stocks were: grassland (104.1 kg m−2) > forestland (96.2 kg m−2) > shrubland (90.6 kg m−2) > cropland (82.4 kg m−2) > gully land (50.3 kg m−2). Respective SOC and SIC stocks were at least 1.6- and 2.1-fold higher within the 100–500 cm depth range, as compared to the 0–100 cm depth range. Overall SOC and SIC stocks decreased significantly from the 5th to the 15th year of cultivation in croplands, and generally increased up to the 70th year. Both SOC and SIC stocks showed a turning point at 15 years cultivation, which should be considered when evaluating soil C sequestration. Estimates of C stocks greatly depends on soil sampling depth, and understanding the influences of land use and time will improve soil productivity and conservation in regions with deep soils.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express sincere thanks to the Belt & Road Center for Earth Environment Studies and CAS Key Technology Talent Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Xia Yu, Weijian Zhou, Yunqiang Wang, Peng Cheng, Yaoyao Hou, Xiaohu Xiong, Hua Du, Ling Yang & Ya Wang

  2. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Technology and Application, Xi’an AMS Center, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Xia Yu, Weijian Zhou, Peng Cheng, Yaoyao Hou, Xiaohu Xiong, Hua Du, Ling Yang & Ya Wang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xia Yu, Ling Yang & Ya Wang

  4. Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Weijian Zhou & Yunqiang Wang

  5. CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Weijian Zhou & Yunqiang Wang

  6. Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, Shandong, China

    Peng Cheng

  7. Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Yunqiang Wang & Peng Cheng

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  1. Xia Yu
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  2. Weijian Zhou
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  6. Xiaohu Xiong
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  7. Hua Du
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  8. Ling Yang
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  9. Ya Wang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Weijian Zhou.

Additional information

Foundation: The Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.XDB40000000; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41730108, No.41773141, No.41573136, No.41991252; National Research Program for Key Issues in Air Pollution Control, No.DQGG0105-02

Author: Yu Xia (1988–), PhD Candidate, specialized in environmental science.

Zhou Weijian (1963–), PhD and Professor, specialized in cosmogenic nuclides.

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Yu, X., Zhou, W., Wang, Y. et al. Effects of land use and cultivation time on soil organic and inorganic carbon storage in deep soils. J. Geogr. Sci. 30, 921–934 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-020-1762-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-020-1762-3

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