Pedosphere 8(3): 201--210, 1998
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©1998 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Distribution and assessment of soil and land degradation in subtropical China——A case study of Dongxi River Basin, Fujian Province |
| PU Li-Jie1, BAO Hao-Sheng1, PENG Bu-Zhuo1 and D. L. HIGGITT2 |
1 Department of Geography, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)
2 Department of Geography, University of Durham, DH1 3LE (UK) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Some alternative methods for estimating soil erosion rates rapidly were used to elucidate the relationship between the land use types and land degradation. The 137Cs content, magnetic susceptibility, aggregate stability, and soil properties were studied in the Dongxi River Basin, a mountainous area of western Fujian. A plot of 137Cs inventory (Y) against slope angle (X) shows a strong inverse log-log relationship (r = -0.83), indicating that much more soil erosion occurs on steeper slopes. Average soil loss (in thickness of top soil per year) in the past 30 years for arable slope crest, arable slopes and tea plantation slopes are 1.6, 10.4 and 8.0 mm year-1 respectively. The surface layer enrichment factor of magnetic susceptibility (Y) in soil also shows an inverse log-log relationship (r = -0.63), indicating a similar tendency with the relationship between the 137Cs inventory (Y) against slope angle (X). The physical and chemical properties of soils among different land use types show different degraded characteristics at different significant levels. |
| Key Words: 137Cs technique, magnetic susceptibility, soil and land degradation, subtropical environment |
| Citation: Pu, L. J., Bao, H. S., Peng, B. Z. and Higgitt, D. L. 1998. Distribution and assessment of soil and land degradation in subtropical China——A case study of Dongxi River Basin, Fujian Province. Pedosphere. 8(3): 201-210. |
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