Soil salt crusts greatly reduce wind erosion and PM10 emission on sandy loam

IF 6.1 1区农林科学 Q1 SOIL SCIENCE

Soil & Tillage Research Pub Date : 2025-04-26 DOI:10.1016/j.still.2025.106619

Qingzhu Liu , Ruoxuan Shi , Brenton Sharratt , Muhammad Tauseef Jaffar , Xiong Li , Jianguo Zhang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Wind erosion leads to significant loss of soil and soil organic carbon in arid and semi-arid desert ecosystems, posing a serious threat to sustainable agriculture and ecological security. Soil salt crusts (SSCs),¹ widely distributed on soil surfaces in these regions, have a notable impact on surface processes, including the initiation, release, and transport of soil particles. However, there is limited understanding of the role of SSCs in reducing wind erosion and PM10 emission, as well as the surface changes of crust-covered soils during wind erosion. In this study, we used wind tunnels to evaluate the influence of artificial SSCs on wind erosion rate (WER),² surface characteristics, and PM10 emission during wind erosion processes. The results showed that as the salt concentration of irrigation water increased, the hardness and shear resistance of SSCs also increased, the structure became denser, but the thickness decreased. The effectiveness of SSCs in reducing WER and inhibiting PM10 emission also improved with the increasing salt concentrations. Additionally, SSCs delayed and reduced the geomorphological changes in the soil surface during wind erosion. We conclude that irrigation water salinity affects SSC formation, altering the structure and strength of the soil surface. Once SSCs are destroyed, WER and PM10 emissions may increase significantly. Thus, in addition to supporting plant growth, saline water irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions can form soil salt crusts (SSCs) that serve as an effective measure against wind erosion.

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来源期刊

Soil & Tillage Research 农林科学-土壤科学

CiteScore

13.00

自引率

6.20%

发文量

266

审稿时长

5 months

期刊介绍： Soil & Tillage Research examines the physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil caused by tillage and field traffic. Manuscripts will be considered on aspects of soil science, physics, technology, mechanization and applied engineering for a sustainable balance among productivity, environmental quality and profitability. The following are examples of suitable topics within the scope of the journal of Soil and Tillage Research: The agricultural and biosystems engineering associated with tillage (including no-tillage, reduced-tillage and direct drilling), irrigation and drainage, crops and crop rotations, fertilization, rehabilitation of mine spoils and processes used to modify soils. Soil change effects on establishment and yield of crops, growth of plants and roots, structure and erosion of soil, cycling of carbon and nutrients, greenhouse gas emissions, leaching, runoff and other processes that affect environmental quality. Characterization or modeling of tillage and field traffic responses, soil, climate, or topographic effects, soil deformation processes, tillage tools, traction devices, energy requirements, economics, surface and subsurface water quality effects, tillage effects on weed, pest and disease control, and their interactions.