VARIATION IN SOIL ORGANIC CARBON AND NITROGEN STOCKS ALONG A TOPOSEQUENCE IN A TRADITIONAL MEDITERRANEAN OLIVE GROVE

The impact of the topographical position on soil properties was evaluated in an olive grove with traditional tillage. Three topographical positions: summit, backslope and toeslope were chosen for evaluation. The soil samples were taken from four soil sections of 0·25 m (0–1 m). The soil organic carbon (SOC) and N content increased along the downslope direction (5·5, 6·5 and 7·1 g C kg⁻¹ and 0·3, 0·8 and 0·9 g N kg⁻¹ in the surface layer in the summit, backslope and toeslope respectively) as well as SOC and N stocks, considering the two first soil sections. In addition, there was movement of the most erodible textural fraction (silt). However, the total SOC stock (refer to 1 m of depth) did not vary with respect to the topographical position, but the total N stock (refer to 1 m of depth) varied significantly. These increases were due to erosion processes that occur along the toposequence, leading to organic matter transfers from the summit to the toeslope. All the stratification ratios calculated were lower than 2, indicating the low quality of the soils. Therefore, alternative management techniques that avoid soil erosion must be considered in olive grove in order to increase the soil quality and fertility. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variation of chemical properties as affected by soil erosion on hillslopes and terraces

The variation in soil nutrients is crucial to the understanding of productivity of soil undergoing erosion overall, as the latter can result in a decline in soil quality and crop production in the whole landscape. Two toposequences (a long slope and terraced field series) were selected from hilly areas of the Sichuan Basin, China, to determine the effects of soil redistribution rates and topographic changes on P, K and CaCO₃ contents, and examine the contribution of water and tillage erosion to the variation and distribution pattern in these chemical properties within different landscapes. For the long slope, soil loss occurred at upper slope positions and soil accumulation was present at lower slope positions. However, terrace banks create a line of zero downslope transport of soil, and lead to abrupt changes in ¹³⁷Cs inventories over very short distances between the upper (or lower) part of the terrace and the lower (or upper) part of the neighbouring terrace. Extractable K concentrations are significantly related to ¹³⁷Cs inventories on both the long slope and terraced fields, which suggests that the distribution of extractable K is closely linked to soil redistribution. However, it is noticeable that no close relationship between extractable P concentrations and ¹³⁷Cs inventories was found on the terraced fields, while there was a highly significant correlation between the two variables on the long slope. The variation in extractable P by soil redistribution was enhanced on the long slope, but was concealed on the terraced fields due to the presence of CaCO₃. It is suggested that the variation in extractable P not only depends on soil redistribution in relation to fine soil particles, but is also influenced by other factors such as P‐fixation onto CaCO₃, the concentration of which itself is linked to soil erosion and redistribution. Therefore, extractable P dynamics with reference to soil erosion are relatively complex on carbonate‐rich soil and parent materials in areas such as those represented by the Sichuan Basin. Tillage erosion, the dominant soil redistribution process on terraced fields, was found to be a major contributor to the variation in soil chemical properties in the terraced field landscape, while water erosion plays an important role in the variation in soil chemical properties in the long slope landscape. In the case of carbonate‐rich soils or parent materials, however, tillage erosion did not create accumulations of extractable P in depressions, whereas water erosion results in extractable P losses at upper slope positions and accumulation at lower slope positions.     

137Cs tracing of the spatial patterns in soil redistribution,organic carbon and total nitrogen in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The southeastern Tibetan Plateau, which profoundly affects East Asia by helping to maintain the stability of climate systems, biological diversity and clean water, is one of the regions most vulnerable to water erosion, wind erosion, tillage erosion, freeze–thaw erosion and overgrazing under global climate changes and intensive human activities. Spatial variations in soil erosion in terraced farmland (TL), sloping farmland (SL) and grassland (GL) were determined by the ¹³⁷Cs tracing method and compared with spatial variations in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (total N). The ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the GL was higher in the 0–0.03 m soil layer than in the other soil layers due to weak migration and diffusion under low precipitation and temperature conditions, while the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the soil layer of the SL was generally uniform in the 0–0.18 m soil layer due to tillage-induced mixing. Low ¹³⁷Cs inventories appeared at the summit and toe slope positions in the SL due to soil loss by tillage erosion and water erosion, respectively, while the highest ¹³⁷Cs inventories appeared at the middle slope positions due to soil accumulation under relatively flat landform conditions. In the GL, the ¹³⁷Cs data showed that higher soil erosion rates appeared at the summit due to freeze–thaw erosion and steep slope gradients and at the toe slope position due to wind erosion, gully erosion, freeze–thaw erosion and overgrazing. The ¹³⁷Cs inventory generally increased from upper to lower slope positions within each terrace (except the lowest terrace). The ¹³⁷Cs data along the terrace toposequence showed abrupt changes in soil erosion rates between the lower part of the upper terrace and the upper part of the immediate terrace over a short distance and net deposition on the lower and toe terraces. Hence, tillage erosion played an important role in the soil loss at the summit slope positions of each terrace, while water erosion dominantly transported soil from the upper terrace to the lower terrace and resulted in net soil deposition on the flat lower terrace. The SOC inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the SL, TL and GL, and significant correlations were found between the SOC and ¹³⁷Cs inventories in these slope landscapes. The total N inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the inventories of ¹³⁷Cs and SOC, and significant correlations were also found between the total N and ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the SL, TL and GL. Therefore, ¹³⁷Cs can successfully be used for tracing soil, SOC and total N dynamics within slope landscapes in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.     

Dual roles of tillage erosion in lateral SOC movement in the landscape

The facts that the global carbon budget cannot be currently balanced and current estimates of agricultural sources and sinks may be inaccurate, may be linked to unaccounted‐for erosion‐induced changes in soil organic carbon (SOC). A closed landscape with field banks and an open landscape without field banks were selected from two sites located in Jianyang County, Sichuan Province, and Zhongxian County, Chongqing Municipality, respectively. In these landscapes, the role of tillage and water erosion was examined using measurements of soil redistribution in relation to ¹³⁷Cs radionuclide depth‐stratigraphy, to elucidate the mechanism of SOC depth distribution in the soil profile and resultant stocks in agricultural landscapes of terraced field systems. Changes in the ¹³⁷Cs inventory at different landscape positions depend on both ¹³⁷Cs concentrations of individual subsample layers (5‐cm depth) and the vertical extent of ¹³⁷Cs depth distribution in the terrace system with field banks, while the changes are only associated with the vertical extent of ¹³⁷Cs depth distribution in the terrace system without field banks because of similar ¹³⁷Cs concentrations of individual subsample layers. The profile shape of SOC depth distribution exhibits notable differences between the upper and lower parts of the terrace in systems with field banks, but no apparent differences were found in the systems without field banks and the SOC profile shape is similar to that of the upper part of the terrace in systems with field banks. It is suggested that SOC depth distribution in these two types of terraced field systems is controlled by different soil erosion patterns. Tillage erosion playing a dominant role in the process of soil erosion within a landscape can increase SOC stocks. However, SOC depletion takes place in situations where the two processes of tillage and water erosion are both important and tillage erosion acts as a delivery mechanism for water erosion. We conclude that tillage erosion plays a dual role: enhancing carbon storage at depositional positions, and accelerating carbon depletion when combined with water erosion within the same landscape.     

龙门山地震带坡耕地土壤侵蚀对有机碳迁移的影响

坡耕地土壤再分布对土壤有机碳(SOC,soil organic carbon)迁移的作用机制研究已成为土壤侵蚀学研究的热点,然而目前极少有研究关注地震后生态脆弱的龙门山地震带坡耕地土壤侵蚀机理及其导致的土壤有机碳再分布规律。该研究选择龙门山地震带内(都江堰市)一块陡坡耕地和一个梯田系列,采用137Cs法和野外调查,对比分析强震导致田埂垮塌和未受损情况下坡耕地土壤侵蚀空间变化特征和有机碳运移变化机理。结果表明,该区黄棕壤有效137Cs背景值为1 473 Bq/m2;坡度较小的坡式梯田内部上坡表现为侵蚀,下坡表现为沉积,同时,上部梯田的侵蚀速率高于下部梯田,但整个梯田系列净侵蚀量非常小,这表明梯田之间由于缺乏田埂的保护,水力也起着侵蚀、搬运上坡梯田土壤的作用,但是整个坡式梯田系列可以起到较好的保土作用,同时,坡式梯田内部主要以耕作侵蚀为主,是造成梯田上部坡位土壤流失严重的主要原因;陡坡耕地的地形为复合坡,由于田埂垮塌导致其土壤侵蚀速率显著高于坡式梯田系列,在整个坡面上,除了坡顶土壤侵蚀速率高之外,下坡坡度变大(曲率较大)的部位土壤侵蚀速率也非常高,同时,土壤沉积也发生在2个坡位(中下坡坡度较缓的部位和坡脚部位);在梯田系列和陡坡耕地上,SOC与土壤137Cs的空间变化规律较为一致。研究结果表明,在龙门山地震带,质量较好的石埂梯田仍然发挥着较好的土壤保持效果,同时,耕作侵蚀是该区坡耕地上一种重要的土壤侵蚀形式,在制定相应的土壤保持措施时,必须充分考虑耕作侵蚀的作用,才能有效地控制土壤侵蚀,此外,该研究结果还表明采用137Cs核素示踪技术可以比较科学地解释该区域的土壤侵蚀速率和SOC的空间变异规律。     

Impacts of soil erosion on organic carbon and nutrient dynamics in an alpine grassland soil

The impact of soil erosion on the nutrient dynamics in alpine grassland soils is still an essential problem. Selecting a grass-covered hillslope in eastern Tibet Plateau, the cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) technique was used to determine the impacts of soil erosion on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total potassium (TK). The ¹³⁷Cs data revealed that there were distinct soil redistribution patterns in different hillslope positions because of the influences of slope runoff, plant coverage and grazing activity. For the upper slope, soil erosion first decreased downward, followed by soil deposition in its lower part. In contrast, for middle and toe slopes, there was an increasing soil erosion along a downslope transect. Across the lower slope, soil erosion showed an irregular variation. Influenced by the selective transport of water erosion, SOC, TN and TP storage decreased with increasing soil erosion in upper, middle and toe slopes. In contrast, SOC, TN and TP storage varied little with soil erosion in the lower slope. On the whole hillslope, TK storage also varied little with soil erosion due to the large amount of potassium elements derived from soil parent materials. Particularly noteworthy was the greatest storage of SOC, TN and TP in the lower slope where most obvious net soil erosion occurred, which is closely related to the humus accumulation combined with gravel separation as well as weathering and pedogenesis of parent rocks induced by soil freeze-thaw.     

Soil redistribution and organic carbon accumulation under long‐term (29 years) upslope tillage systems

Few studies have demonstrated soil redistribution under upslope tillage (UT) rather than downslope tillage (DT) and its impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) redistribution in long‐term agricultural practices in hillslope landscapes. We selected two neighbouring sites from the Sichuan Basin, China, one under DT and the other under UT, to determine the pattern of soil and SOC redistribution under a long‐term UT practice. DT caused soil loss at upper slope positions and soil accumulation at lower slope positions. However, UT resulted in soil accumulation at upper slope positions and soil loss at lower slope positions. The total erosion rate decreased by 60.5% after 29 years of UT compared with DT. Having the same direction of soil movement by tillage and water exaggerated total soil loss, whereas having the two movements in the contrasting direction of soil for the two reduced it. SOC stocks at positions from summit to downslope were much larger (33.8%) and at toe‐slope positions were only slightly greater (4.5%) in the UT soils than comparable values for the DT site. The accumulation rate of SOC at the UT site increased by 0.26 Mg/ha/year compared with that at the DT site. It is suggested that soil movement by water and tillage erosion occurred in the same direction accelerates the depletion of SOC pools, whereas the opposite direction of soil movement for the two can increase SOC accumulation. Our results suggest that UT has significant impacts on soil redistribution processes and SOC accumulation on steeply sloping land.     

中国四川盆地地区侵蚀斜坡土壤酶活性研究

Determining how soil erosion affects enzyme activity may enhance our understanding of soil degradation on eroded agricultural landscapes. This study assessed the changes in enzyme activity with slope position and erosion type by selecting water and tillage erosion-dominated slopes and performing analyses using the ¹³⁷Cs technique. The ¹³⁷Cs data revealed that soil loss occurred in the upper section of the two eroded slope types, while soil accumulation occurred in the lower section. The invertase activity increased downslope and exhibited a pattern similar to the ¹³⁷Cs data. The spatial patterns of urease and alkaline phosphatase activities were similar to the ¹³⁷Cs inventories on the water and tillage erosion-dominated slopes, respectively. On both the eroded slope types, the invertase activity and soil organic carbon content were correlated, but no correlation was observed between the alkaline phosphatase activity and total phosphorus content. Nevertheless, the urease activity was correlated with the total nitrogen content only on the water erosion-dominated slopes. The enzyme activity-to-microbial biomass carbon ratios indicated high activities of invertase and urease but low activity of phosphatase on the water erosion-dominated slopes compared with the tillage erosion-dominated slopes. Both the invertase activity and the invertase activity-to-microbial biomass carbon ratio varied with the slope position. Changes in the urease activity-to-microbial biomass carbon ratio were significantly affected by the erosion type. These suggested that the dynamics of the invertase activity were linked to soil redistribution on the two eroded slope types, whereas the dynamics of the urease and alkaline phosphatase activities were associated with soil redistribution only on the water or tillage erosion-dominated slopes, respectively. The erosion type had an obvious effect on the activities of invertase, urease and alkaline phosphatase. Soil redistribution might influence the involvement of urease in the N cycle and alkaline phosphatase in the P cycle. Thus, enzyme activity-to-microbial biomass ratios may be used to better evaluate microbiological activity in eroded soils.     

Prediction of vertical soil organic carbon profiles using soil properties and environmental tracer data at an untilled site

Soil organic carbon (SOC) has considerable spatial and temporal variability both at the hillslope and catchment scale as well as down the soil profile. In recent years the distribution of SOC down the soil profile has become an area of interest in the understanding of the carbon sequestration potential of soils. Most studies however have concentrated on highly disturbed agricultural sites with little data available for untilled locations. In this study the vertical distribution of SOC is examined at a grassland site in the Young River area of Western Australia that has remained undisturbed by human activity for 50 years. Soil physical properties (texture, rock content) as well as the distribution of the environmental tracers ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb were assessed with the aim of better understanding the transport processes which produce the observed vertical distribution of SOC. While no consistent relationship was found between SOC and soil physical properties significant relationships were found between the distribution of SOC and the environmental tracers, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb. Finite element simulations based on a diffusion/convection/decay model showed that the transport of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb down the soil profile is likely to be driven by the same (primarily diffusive) processes. The same model used in conjunction with plant input and decay data generated from the RothC-26.3 soil carbon model revealed that transport of SOC down the soil profile, while also a diffusion process, was significantly slower indicating that different processes and/or pathways are involved in SOC transport at this site.     

利用137Cs示踪技术评价东北黑土侵蚀和沉积过程

Soil and water losses through erosion have been serious in the black soil region of Northeast China. Therefore, a sloping cultivated land in Songnen Plain was selected as a case study to： 1） determine the ^137Cs reference inventory in the study area; 2） calculate erosion and deposition rates of black soil on different slope locations; 3） conduct a sensitivity analysis of some model parameters; and 4） compare overall outputs using four different models. Three transects were set in the field with five slope locations for each transect, including summit, shoulder-slope, back-slope, foot-slope, and toe-slope. Field measurements and model simulation were used to estimate a bomb-derived ^137Cs reference inventory in the study area. Soil erosion and deposition rates were estimated using four ^137Cs models and percentage of ^137Cs loss/gain. The ^137Cs reference value in the study area was 2 232.8 Bq m^-2 with ^137Cs showing a clear topographic pattern, decreasing from the summit to shoulder-slope, then increasing again at the foot-slope and reaching a maximum at the toe-slope, Predicted soil redistribution rates for different slope locations varied. Among models, the Yang Model （YANG-M） overestimated erosion loss but underestimated deposition. However, the standard mass balance model （MBM1） gave predictions similar to a mass balance model incorporating soil movement by tillage （MBM2）. Sensitivity analysis of the proportion factor and distribution pattern of ^137Cs in the surface layer demonstrated the impact of ^137Cs enrichment on calculation of the soil erosion rate. Factors influencing the redistribution of fallout ^137Cs in landscape should be fully considered as calculating soil redistribution rate using ^137Cs technique.     

The 137Cs technique applied to steep Mediterranean slopes (Part I): the effects of lithology,slope morphology and land use

Concentrations in the soil of anthropogenic and natural radionuclides have been investigated in order to assess the applicability of the ¹³⁷Cs technique in an area of typical Mediterranean steep slopes. This technique can be used to estimate net soil redistribution rates but its potential in areas with shallow and stony soils on hard rock lithology have not been evaluated so far. In this research, the validity of using this technique in stony shallow soils at very steep slopes is discussed together with the relations between radionuclide concentrations and other soil properties, lithology, slope morphology and land use in a Mediterranean environment. Both natural Potassium-40 (⁴⁰K), Uranium-238 (²³⁸U), Thorium-232 (²³²Th) and anthropogenic Caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) radionuclides have been determined in samples taken along slope transects on uncultivated serpentinite soils and cultivated gneiss soils. In addition to the radionuclide concentrations, parameters such as slope position, slope angle, aspect, soil depth, surface stone cover, moss, litter, vegetation cover, soil crust, stone content and bulk density have been quantified.All the natural radionuclides ⁴⁰K, ²³⁸U, ²³²Th show significantly higher concentrations in the gneiss than in the serpentinite soils, opposed to the ¹³⁷Cs concentration, which is found significantly higher in the serpentinite soils probably because of the difference in clay mineralogy. The exponential decreasing depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs and its homogeneous spatial distribution emphasise the applicability of the ¹³⁷Cs technique in this ecosystem.Lithology determines the concentration of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides. Land use determines the relations between ¹³⁷Cs concentration/inventory and some soil characteristics. Higher ¹³⁷Cs concentration and inventory are associated with higher percentages of vegetation cover, higher percentage of stones in the soil and higher values of soil bulk density in cultivated gneiss soils. Slope morphology and land use influence the soil redistribution at slope scale. The gneiss slopes show a zonation of four to five areas of differential erosion/accumulation processes corresponding with more regular slopes and soil redistribution due to water erosion and to tillage translocation and erosion. The serpentinites, as an example of a more unstable slope type, show more erosion areas with less accumulation downslope and soil redistribution due to water erosion.     

Erosion and deposition history derived by depth-stratigraphy of Cs and soil organic carbon

There are a number of uncertainties in the use of ¹³⁷Cs as a marker for deriving soil erosion rates. However, this should not limit other potential uses of this anthropogenic radionuclide in the study of soil landscape processes. This study outlines a sampling methodology which aids in the assessment of the history of erosion and depositional processes within a landscape unit. The depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs and soil organic carbon (SOC) was utilized as a means of determining the erosion and depositional history of a conventionally tilled agricultural field in southern Ontario, Canada. Three transects oriented along the slope of a large field had five soil profiles excavated at the summit, sideslope, shoulder slope, footslope and toeslope landscape positions. The soils were sampled in 5 cm increments, and ¹³⁷Cs and SOC were determined on the samples. The results show that soil redistribution within landscape units of agricultural fields has been substantial both before and after fallout of ¹³⁷Cs to the soil surface. Soils in depositional areas contained significant ¹³⁷Cs and SOC at depths beyond which the plow can attain at present. This implies that a significant amount of carbon is being sequestered beneath the present plow layer, and the characterization of this pool must be considered in deriving the dynamics of SOC in agroecosystems.     

Impact of soil redistribution in a sloping landscape on carbon sequestration in Northeast China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) in eroded soil can be redistributed from upper slope positions and deposited and sequestered in depressional areas. However, the SOC lost from soil erosion is normally not considered when soil carbon budgets are derived and this could result in an overestimation of SOC loss from the agricultural areas. The impact of soil redistribution on the SOC budget of a sloping landscape in the Black soil region in Northeast China was studied using the presence of the ¹³⁷Cs tracer which has been deposited since 1954 and the fly‐ash tracer, which was deposited in 1903. Five landscape positions (summit, shoulder‐, back‐, foot‐ and toe‐slope) were selected and included in this study. The depths of ¹³⁷Cs and fly ash and the SOC content of the deposition layers were used to calculate the change in C content of the soil in the various landscape positions over the last century. We found that the most severe soil erosion occurred in soils in the shoulder‐slope position followed by the back‐slope and the summit positions. Soil deposition occurred in the toe‐slope position followed by the foot‐slope position. A total of 683 kg C was eroded from the summit, shoulder‐ and back‐slopes (in a 1 m wide strip) over the past 100 years and 418 kg C (about 61·2 per cent) was deposited in the low‐lying areas (foot‐ and toe‐slopes). Over half (61·5 per cent) of the deposition (257 kg SOC) occurred over the past 50 years. Most of the previously reported loss of C from the upper slope positions in the Black soils was in fact sequestered in the deposition areas in the landscape. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用燃煤飞灰作为时间标记物评价坡耕地黑土侵蚀物质和有机碳的再分配

燃煤飞灰(以下简称飞灰)作为时间标记物克服了放射性同位素137Cs示踪方法不能鉴定大气核爆炸之前的土壤再分布过程这一缺陷。本文利用土体中的飞灰研究坡耕地黑土有机碳的时空再分布特征。尝试建立飞灰在土壤中分层的方法,根据飞灰和土壤有机碳(SOC)随土壤深度的分布特征鉴定土壤堆积厚度,以及堆积土壤的相对年代。结果表明:用飞灰示踪技术鉴定的埋藏土壤表层与SOC含量随深度变化确定的埋藏表层吻合较好,景观中低洼部位在飞灰出现前就有一定的土壤堆积。各地貌部位坡肩侵蚀最为严重,有机碳含量最低;坡顶坡度较小,侵蚀微弱;坡脚和坡足发生沉积。土壤沉积速率在1.01~5.56mm a-1之间。研究结果还表明堆积部位埋藏层的SOC含量较高,说明有相当数量的有机碳被隐遁在目前的耕作层之下。因此,在评价农田土壤作为大气CO2“源”或“汇”时应该考虑景观中土壤物质迁移和埋藏作用的影响。     

Use of caesium-137 data for validation of spatially distributed erosion models: the implications of tillage erosion

Validation of spatially distributed models using spatially distributed data represents a vital element in the development process; however, it is rarely undertaken. To a large extent, this reflects the problems associated with assembling erosion rate data, at appropriate temporal and spatial scales and with a suitable spatial resolution, for comparison with model results. The caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) technique would appear to offer considerable potential for meeting this need for data, at least for longer timescales. Nevertheless, initial attempts to use ¹³⁷Cs for model validation did not prove successful. This lack of success may be explained by the important role of tillage erosion in redistributing soil within agricultural fields and, therefore, contributing to the ¹³⁷Cs-derived soil redistribution rates. This paper examines the implications of tillage erosion for the use of ¹³⁷Cs in erosion model validation and presents an outline methodology for the use of ¹³⁷Cs in model validation. This methodology acknowledges and addresses the constraints imposed by the need to: (1) separate water and tillage erosion contributions to total soil redistribution as represented in ¹³⁷Cs derived rates; (2) account for lateral mixing of ¹³⁷Cs within fields as a result of tillage translocation; (3) simulate long-term water erosion rates using the model under evaluation if ¹³⁷Cs-derived water erosion rates are to be used in model validation. The methodology is dependent on accurate simulation of tillage erosion and tillage translocation. Therefore, as greater understanding of tillage erosion is obtained, the potential for the use of ¹³⁷Cs in water erosion model validation will increase. Caesium-137 measurements remain one of the few sources of spatially distributed erosion information and, therefore, their potential value should be exploited to the full.     

Use of Cs to estimate tillage- and water-induced soil redistribution rates on agricultural land under different use and management in central-south Chile

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the applicability of conventional ¹³⁷Cs sampling and a simplified approach, for estimating medium-term tillage- and water-induced soil erosion and sedimentation rates on agricultural land in Chile. For this purpose, four study sites under contrasting land use and management were selected in central-south Chile. First, a conventional ¹³⁷Cs approach, based on grid sampling was applied, adapting a mass balance conversion model incorporating soil movement by tillage to the site specific conditions of the study region. Secondly, using the same conversion model, the feasibility of estimating soil redistribution rates from measurements of ¹³⁷Cs inventories based on composite soil samples taken along contour lines was also tested at all four sites. The redistribution rates associated with tillage and water and the total rates estimated using both methods correlated strongly at all four sites. The conventional method provides more detailed information concerning the redistribution processes operating over the landscape. The simplified method is suitable for assessing soil loss and sediment accumulation in areas exhibiting simple topography and almost similar slopes along the contour lines. Under these conditions, this method permits faster estimation of soil redistribution rates, providing the possibility of estimating soil redistribution rates over larger areas in a shorter time. In order to optimise the costs and benefits of the methods, the sampling and inventory quantification strategy must be selected according to the resolution of the required information, and the scale and complexity of the landscape relief. Higher tillage- and water-induced erosion rates were observed in the annually ploughed cropland sites than in the semi-permanent grassland sites. Subsistence managed crop and grassland sites also show greater erosion effects than the commercially managed sites. The ¹³⁷Cs methods used permit discrimination between redistribution rates observed on agricultural land under different land use and management. The ¹³⁷Cs technique must be seen as an efficient method for estimating medium-term soil redistribution rates, and for planning soil conservation and sustainable agricultural production under the climatic conditions and the soil type of the region of Chile investigated.     

Modelling tillage erosion in the topographically complex landscapes of southwestern Ontario, Canada

A tillage erosion model was developed for southwestern Ontario based on the relationship between tillage translocation and slope gradient and slope curvature. Two studies of tillage translocation and tillage erosion were used to calibrate this model, one a comparison of upslope and downslope tillage translocation on shoulder slopes, the other an examination of tillage translocation throughout topographically complex landscapes. Two field sites were used for validation of the model. For both sites, past tillage practices were known and past soil erosion was determined using ¹³⁷Cs as an indicator of soil redistribution. The model accurately predicted the pattern of soil redistribution that had occurred within the two field sites. Severe soil loss was observed and predicted on convex landscape positions and soil accumulation was observed and predicted on concave landscape positions. The model accounted for almost all of the soil lost from the convex upper slope positions where tillage erosion was expected to be the dominant erosion process. There was considerable soil loss and accumulation elsewhere in the landscapes which could not be accounted for by the model and was presumed to be primarily the result of water erosion. It was concluded that tillage erosion must be incorporated into soil erosion modelling for the purposes of soil conservation.     

~(137)Cs示踪采煤沉陷坡土壤侵蚀及其对土壤养分的影响

为更好地理解矿区土壤退化机理,该文利用137Cs技术研究了焦作矿区具有15a沉陷历史的采煤沉陷坡土壤侵蚀特征及其对土壤养分的影响。沉陷坡137Cs含量从坡顶到下坡逐渐降低,及至坡脚急剧增大且表现出最高的值。基于137Cs本底(1 645 Bq/m2),沉陷坡坡顶至下坡表现为土壤侵蚀,而坡脚为土壤沉积。沉陷坡土壤侵蚀高达3.75 kg/(m2·a),属于中度侵蚀。沉陷坡土壤黏粒含量沿下坡方向增加,表明水蚀的分选性搬运。与对照区相比,沉陷坡侵蚀区土壤总有机碳(total organic carbon,TOC)、水溶性有机碳(water-soluble organic carbon,WSOC)、全氮、碱解氮、全磷、有效磷含量均出现了显著降低(P0.05);沉积区除WSOC显著降低(P0.05)外,其他养分含量变化不明显(P0.05)。在沉陷坡的侵蚀区,TOC与WSOC含量沿下坡方向逐渐减小,表现出与137Cs一致的分布格局;其他养分含量的坡面变化与137Cs分布不一致。相较于对照区,WSOC/TOC与碳氮比、碳磷比在沉陷坡侵蚀强烈的坡位分别出现了显著增大与降低(P0.05)。研究结果表明:1)焦作矿区自采煤沉陷坡形成以来发生了较严重的水蚀;2)侵蚀引起的土壤再分配影响沉陷坡土壤碳、氮、磷动态,其中,土壤再分配对土壤碳动态的影响最强;3)在土壤侵蚀作用下,采煤沉陷坡侵蚀强烈的坡位土壤有效态碳、氮、磷养分潜在的侵蚀风险大。采煤沉陷坡土壤侵蚀及其对土壤养分的不利影响应引起矿粮复合区土地整治的关注。     

Modelling the Effect of Land Management Changes on Soil Organic Carbon Stocks in a Mediterranean Cultivated Field

Land management in agricultural lands has important effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. These effects are particularly relevant in the Mediterranean region, where soils are fragile and prone to erosion. Increasing interest of modelling to simulate SOC dynamics and the significance of soil erosion on SOC redistribution have been linked to the development of some recent models. In this study, the SPEROS‐C model was implemented in a 1.6‐ha cereal field for a 150‐year period covering 100 years of minimum tillage by animal traction, 35 years of conventional tillage followed by 15 years of reduced tillage by chisel to evaluate the effects of changes in land management on SOC stocks and lateral carbon fluxes in a Mediterranean agroecosystem. The spatial patterns of measured and simulated SOC stocks were in good agreement, and their spatial variability appeared to be closely linked to soil redistribution. Changes in the magnitude of lateral SOC fluxes differed between land management showing that during the conventional tillage period the carbon losses is slightly higher (0.06 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹) compared to the period of reduced till using chisel (0.04 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹). Although the results showed that the SPEROS‐C model is a potential tool to evaluate erosion induced carbon fluxes and assess the relative contribution of different land management on SOC stocks in Mediterranean agroecosystems, the model was not able to fully represent the observed SOC stocks. Further research (e.g. input parameters) and model development will be needed to achieve more accurate results. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distribution of soil organic carbon and phosphorus on an eroded hillslope of the rangeland in the northern Tibet Plateau, China

Some studies on the relationship between soil erosion and subsequent redeposition of eroded soils in the same field and soil quality have been conducted in croplands, yet few studies have revealed this relationship in rangelands. We selected a toposequence with a slope of 30% and a horizontal length of 342 m from the rangeland in the northern Tibet Autonomous Region, China (31°16′N, 92°09′E) to determine the relationship between soil erosion, soil organic carbon (SOC) content and available P patterns within a hillslope landscape. Soil samples for the determination of ¹³⁷Cs as well as SOC, available P and particle‐size fractions were collected at 20 m intervals along a transect of this hillslope. Soil redistribution was caused primarily by wind erosion at toe‐slope positions, but primarily by water erosion at the hillslope positions above the toe‐slope. In upper‐ and mid‐slope portions (0 m to 244 m horizontal length), SOC content is closely correlated to ¹³⁷Cs concentration (r = 0.74, P < 0.01, n= 15), suggesting that SOC distribution along the slope was similar to ¹³⁷Cs distribution, which itself was dependent on topographic changes. However, SOC contents in toe‐slope portions are less than those above the toe‐slope (i.e. upper‐ and mid‐slope portions), and the correlation between ¹³⁷Cs and SOC in the toe‐slope portion is weaker than that above the toe‐slope. A highly significant correlation (r = 0.72, P < 0.001, n= 20) between ¹³⁷Cs concentration and available P was found within the whole hillslope landscape, implying the distribution pattern of available P was somewhat different from that of SOC. We suggest that the distribution of SOC within the hillslope landscape is also affected by factors such as assimilation rates due to difference in grassland productivity at different points and different biological oxidation rates of carbon related to patterns of moisture distribution.