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Spatial Heterogeneity of Soil Thickness and Factors Controlling It in a Karst Basin
- Source :
- Eurasian Soil Science. 54:478-486
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Pleiades Publishing Ltd, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Soil is a fundamental component to an ecological system. This study is aimed to clarify the spatial heterogeneity of soils in the Houzhai River basin and the factors controlling it. Overall, 2755 sites designed using ArcGIS were studied; soil thickness, vegetation, land use (human disturbance), and topographic characteristics were analyzed. Soils in the basin are characterized by the high spatial heterogeneity. Soils on the elevated convex elements of topography are thinner than those in the depressions and on flat lands. Soils in the western part of the Houzhai River basin are generally thicker than soils in the eastern part of the basin. The mean soil thickness of forestland, paddy fields, arid land, and grassland is 37.40, 84.43, 69.08 and 56.03 cm, respectively. Based on the present study, soil thickness in the Houzhai River basin is closely associated with landscape, land use, and vegetation. It is interesting that soils of croplands, including paddy fields and arid lands, are generally thicker than soils of other land uses under similar environmental conditions. The major reason for this—either the choice of soils with initially greater thickness for cropland or the result of soil protection measures by land owners—remains open to arguments and needs to be clarified.
- Subjects :
- Hydrology
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category
Land use
Drainage basin
Soil Science
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
Vegetation
010501 environmental sciences
Structural basin
Karst
01 natural sciences
Arid
Spatial heterogeneity
Soil water
040103 agronomy & agriculture
0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
Environmental science
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Earth-Surface Processes
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1556195X and 10642293
- Volume :
- 54
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Eurasian Soil Science
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........3ecca6915ac4d5177b167e4806186c7d