Nitrate dynamics in deep soils of the Loess Plateau: Impact of different land use types

IF 7 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Ecological Indicators Pub Date : 2025-05-07 DOI:10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113578

Peiyuan Chen , Jinzhu Ma , Xiaobo Yue , Haitao Zeng , Chengyi Wang , Qingmei Huang , Ying Zhou , Li Zhang

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Abstract

The nitrogen cycling characteristics of soil in the Loess Plateau are critical for regional agriculture and environmental protection. This study investigates deep soil water nitrate distribution and dynamics under different land use types using δ¹⁵N-NO₃^–, δ¹⁸O-NO₃^–, δ¹⁸O-H₂O, δ²H-H₂O, and hydrochemical ions (F^–, Cl^–, NO₃^–, and SO₄^2–). The results indicate that agricultural lands, such as cornfields and apple orchards, exhibit higher nitrate concentrations in shallow soils (cornfields: median ∼ 50 mg/L, extremes > 80 mg/L) due to fertilization and irrigation. However, deeper soil layers did not show significant nitrate enrichment despite prolonged cultivation. In contrast, grasslands and woodlands maintain lower and stable nitrate levels (grasslands: 10–15 mg/L, woodlands: ∼5 mg/L) due to natural nitrogen fixation. Nitrate sources differ by land use. Apple orchards and shrublands are influenced by NH₄⁺-fertilizers and soil nitrogen, while cornfields utilize both NH₄⁺- and NO₃^–-fertilizers. Land-use changes from agriculture to woodland increased deep soil nitrate (woodlands by 22.7 % and shrublands by 83 %), suggesting heightened leaching and groundwater pollution risks. Soil moisture also impacts nitrate accumulation. Shrublands exhibit the highest nitrate accumulation (27.24 kg N·ha⁻¹·cm⁻¹), followed by cornfields (0.74 ± 0.2 kg N·ha⁻¹·cm⁻¹), while grasslands show the lowest accumulation (0.43 ± 0.03 kg N·ha⁻¹·cm⁻¹). To mitigate groundwater nitrate pollution, rational fertilization, conservation tillage, and efficient irrigation are recommended for agricultural lands. For natural lands, maintaining vegetation and soil management practices is essential. Tailored strategies are crucial to optimize soil health and water quality.

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黄土高原深层土壤硝态氮动态：不同土地利用类型的影响

黄土高原土壤氮循环特征对区域农业和环境保护具有重要意义。利用δ15N-NO3 -、δ18O-NO3 -、δ18O-H2O、δ2H-H2O和水化学离子（F -、Cl -、NO3 -和SO42 -）研究了不同土地利用类型下深层土壤水分硝酸盐的分布和动态。结果表明，农业用地，如玉米地和苹果园，在浅层土壤中表现出较高的硝酸盐浓度(玉米地：中值~ 50 mg/L，极值>；80 mg/L)。然而，较深的土层，尽管长时间耕作，没有显示出显著的硝酸盐富集。相比之下，由于天然固氮作用，草地和林地保持较低且稳定的硝酸盐水平（草地：10-15 mg/L，林地：~ 5 mg/L）。硝酸盐的来源因土地用途而异。苹果园和灌丛受NH4+-肥料和土壤氮的影响，而玉米地同时使用NH4+-和NO3——肥料。从农业到林地的土地利用变化增加了深层土壤硝酸盐（林地增加22.7%，灌丛增加83%），表明淋滤和地下水污染风险增加。土壤湿度也影响硝酸盐的积累。灌丛地的硝态氮积累量最高（27.24 kg N·ha−1·cm−1），玉米地次之（0.74±0.2 kg N·ha−1·cm−1），草地的硝态氮积累量最低（0.43±0.03 kg N·ha−1·cm−1）。为减少地下水硝酸盐污染，建议对农田进行合理施肥、保护性耕作和高效灌溉。对于自然土地，维持植被和土壤管理措施至关重要。量身定制的战略对于优化土壤健康和水质至关重要。

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来源期刊

Ecological Indicators 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

11.80

自引率

8.70%

发文量

1163

审稿时长

78 days

期刊介绍： The ultimate aim of Ecological Indicators is to integrate the monitoring and assessment of ecological and environmental indicators with management practices. The journal provides a forum for the discussion of the applied scientific development and review of traditional indicator approaches as well as for theoretical, modelling and quantitative applications such as index development. Research into the following areas will be published. • All aspects of ecological and environmental indicators and indices. • New indicators, and new approaches and methods for indicator development, testing and use. • Development and modelling of indices, e.g. application of indicator suites across multiple scales and resources. • Analysis and research of resource, system- and scale-specific indicators. • Methods for integration of social and other valuation metrics for the production of scientifically rigorous and politically-relevant assessments using indicator-based monitoring and assessment programs. • How research indicators can be transformed into direct application for management purposes. • Broader assessment objectives and methods, e.g. biodiversity, biological integrity, and sustainability, through the use of indicators. • Resource-specific indicators such as landscape, agroecosystems, forests, wetlands, etc.