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Spatial Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Based on GIS and Geostatistics in a Small Watershed in a Hilly Area of Northern China

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  • Gao Peng
  • Wang Bing
  • Geng Guangpo
  • Zhang Guangcan

Abstract

The spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) levels is important in both global carbon-nitrogen cycle and climate change research. There has been little research on the spatial distribution of SOC and STN at the watershed scale based on geographic information systems (GIS) and geostatistics. Ninety-seven soil samples taken at depths of 0–20 cm were collected during October 2010 and 2011 from the Matiyu small watershed (4.2 km2) of a hilly area in Shandong Province, northern China. The impacts of different land use types, elevation, vegetation coverage and other factors on SOC and STN spatial distributions were examined using GIS and a geostatistical method, regression-kriging. The results show that the concentration variations of SOC and STN in the Matiyu small watershed were moderate variation based on the mean, median, minimum and maximum, and the coefficients of variation (CV). Residual values of SOC and STN had moderate spatial autocorrelations, and the Nugget/Sill were 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively. Distribution maps of regression-kriging revealed that both SOC and STN concentrations in the Matiyu watershed decreased from southeast to northwest. This result was similar to the watershed DEM trend and significantly correlated with land use type, elevation and aspect. SOC and STN predictions with the regression-kriging method were more accurate than those obtained using ordinary kriging. This research indicates that geostatistical characteristics of SOC and STN concentrations in the watershed were closely related to both land-use type and spatial topographic structure and that regression-kriging is suitable for investigating the spatial distributions of SOC and STN in the complex topography of the watershed.

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  • Gao Peng & Wang Bing & Geng Guangpo & Zhang Guangcan, 2013. "Spatial Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Based on GIS and Geostatistics in a Small Watershed in a Hilly Area of Northern China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-9, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0083592
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083592
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    Cited by:

    1. Gwanyong Jeong & Kwanghun Choi & Marie Spohn & Soo Jin Park & Bernd Huwe & Mareike Ließ, 2017. "Environmental drivers of spatial patterns of topsoil nitrogen and phosphorus under monsoon conditions in a complex terrain of South Korea," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(8), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Jiayu Tian & Yaru Yuan & Pengchong Zhou & Lixin Wang & Zhuoxin Chen & Qiang Chen, 2023. "Spatial Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in a Micro-Catchment of Northeast China and Their Influencing Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-12, April.
    3. Gerson Meza Mori & Cristóbal Torres Guzmán & Manuel Oliva-Cruz & Rolando Salas López & Gladys Marlo & Elgar Barboza, 2022. "Spatial Analysis of Environmentally Sensitive Areas to Soil Degradation Using MEDALUS Model and GIS in Amazonas (Peru): An Alternative for Ecological Restoration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Houxi Zhang & Shunyao Zhuang & Haiyan Qian & Feng Wang & Haibao Ji, 2015. "Spatial Variability of the Topsoil Organic Carbon in the Moso Bamboo Forests of Southern China in Association with Soil Properties," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.

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