Pedosphere 26(5): 652--665, 2016
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2016 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Redistribution of soil organic carbon triggered by erosion at field scale under subhumid climate, Hungary |
Z. SZALAI1,2, J. SZABÓ2, J. KOVÁCS3, E. MÉSZÁROS1, G. ALBERT4, C. CENTERI5, B. SZABÓ5, B. MADARÁSZ1, D. ZACHÁRY1 and G. JAKAB1,2 |
1Geographical Institute Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1112 (Hungary)
2Department of Environmental and Landscape Geography, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117 (Hungary)
3Department of Applied and Environmental Geology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1117 (Hungary) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Soil organic carbon (SOC) has primary importance in terms of soil physics, soil fertility and even of climate change control. One hundred soil samples were taken from an intensively cultivated Cambisol to quantify SOC redistribution triggered by soil erosion under a subhumid climate, by the simultaneous application of diffuse reflectance (240--1 900 nm) and traditional physico-chemical methods. The representative sample points were collected from the solum along the slopes at the depth of 20--300 cm with a mean content of 12 g kg-1 SOC. Hierarchical cluster analyses were performed based on the determined SOC results. The spatial pattern of the groups created were similar, and even though the classifications were not the same, diffuse reflectance had proven to be a suitable method for soil/sediment classification even within a given arable field. Both organic and inorganic carbon distributions were found to be a proper tool for estimations of past soil erosion processes. The SOC enrichment was found on two sedimentary spots with different geomorphological positions. Soil organic matter composition also differed between the two spots due to selective deposition of the delivered organic matter. The low-molecular-weight components reached the bottom of the slope where they could leach into the profile, while the more polymerised organic matter compositions were delivered and deposited even before on a higher segment of the slope in an aggregated form. This spatial difference appeared below the uppermost tilled soil layer as well, referring the lower efficiency of conventional ploughing tillage in soil spatial homogenisation. |
| Key Words: Cambisol, carbon sequestration, diffuse reflectance, selective erosion, soil organic matter composition |
| Citation: Szalai, Z., SzabÓ, J., KovÁcs, J., MÉszÁros, E., Albert, G., Center, C., SzabÓ, B., MadarÁsz, B., ZachÁry, D. and Jakab, G. 2016. Redistribution of soil organic carbon triggered by erosion at field scale under subhumid climate, Hungary. Pedosphere. 26(5): 652-665. |
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