title: Characteristics of Soil and Organic Carbon Loss Induced by Water Erosion on the Loess Plateau in China.
abstract: Soil erosion has been a common environmental problem in the Loess Plateau in China. This study aims to better understand the losses of soil organic carbon (SOC) induced by water erosion. Laboratory-simulated rainfall experiments were conducted to investigate the characteristics of SOC loss induced by water erosion. The applied treatments included two rainfall intensities (90 and 120 mm h-1), four slope gradients (10°, 15°, 20°, and 25°), and two typical soil types- silty clay loam and silty loam. Results showed that the sediment OC enrichment ratios (ERoc) in all the events were relative stable with values ranged from 0.85 to1.21 and 0.64 to 1.52 and mean values of 0.98 and 1.01 for silty clay loam and silty loam, respectively. Similar to the ERoc, the proportions of different sized particles in sediment showed tiny variations during erosion processes. No significant correlation was observed between ERoc values and the proportions of sediment particles. Slope, rainfall intensity and soil type almost had no impact on ERoc. These results indicate that the transportation of SOC during erosion processes was nonselective. While the mean SOC loss rates for the events of silty clay loam and silty loam were 0.30 and 0.08 g m-2 min-1, respectively. Greater differences in SOC loss rates were found in events among different soil types. Meanwhile, significant correlations between SOC loss and soil loss for all the events were observed. These results indicated that the amount of SOC loss was influenced primarily by soil loss and the SOC content of the original soil. Erosion pattern and original SOC content are two main factors by which different soils can influence SOC loss. It seems that soil type has a greater impact on SOC loss than rainfall characteristics on the Loess Plateau of China. However, more kinds of soils should be further studied due to the special formation processes in the Loess Plateau.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS and MWR, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, PR China.|College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, PR China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhongwu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS and MWR, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, PR China.|College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, PR China.|Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS and MWR, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS and MWR, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, PR China.
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D011891:Rain; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water / Q000009:adverse effects*; D058438:Water Cycle
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon