Pedosphere 6(1): 1--10, 1996
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©1996 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
Human influences on the development of acid sulphate soils in the Pearl River (the Zhujiang) Delta
LIN Chu-Xia
School of Geography, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, N. S. W. 2052 (Australia)
ABSTRACT
      In the Pearl River Delta with more than 1000 years of intensive land reclamation history, the development of acid sulphate soils has been generally limited in terms of their acid potential (pyrite content) and spatial extent. This is attributed to the rapid delta progradation, partially resulted from increasing sediment yield caused by deforestation within the catchment and the empolderment in the estuarine embayment. The empolderment practice accompanied by the clearance of mangroves stopped the upward growth of the pyritic layer on the one hand and limited the vertical accretion of non-pyritic freshwater sediments over the pyritic estuarine sediments on the other. In such a case, the pyritic layer in the area is frequently thin and of shallow occurrence. Under forced leaching-recharge conditions for the paddy rice cultivation, the leaching of acid sulphate materials prevails over its production and this leads to a net loss in pyrite oxidation products. Land excavation for fishpond farming accelerates pyrite oxidation due to the direct exposure of the pyritic sediments to air on the pond bunds. Severe acidification can intensify the environmental degradation of estuarine ecosystems.
Key Words:  acid sulphate soil, fishpond farming, human impact, pyrite, water management
Citation: Lin, C. X. 1996. Human influences on the development of acid sulphate soils in the Pearl River (the Zhujiang) Delta. Pedosphere. 6(1): 1-10.
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