Catena最新文献

{"title":"Random root distribution affects the mechanical properties of the soil-root composite and root reinforcement","authors":"Jian-kun Huang ,&nbsp;Jing-pei Dai ,&nbsp;Fabrizio Scarpa ,&nbsp;Yun-qi Wang ,&nbsp;Jin-nan Ji ,&nbsp;Zhun Mao","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108896","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108896","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Roots can mechanically reinforce soils against landslides, but the impact of their typically random and complex distribution on this reinforcement is not well understood. Here, using a modelling approach based on homogenization theory, we aim to assess the effect of the randomness and complexity of root spatial distribution in soils on the mechanical properties of the soil-root composite and the resulting reinforcement. To do this, we modeled the soil-root composite as a three-dimensional (3D) soil column through which parallel roots penetrate vertically. The unit cell (UC) of the soil-root composites with a nonuniform root distribution was created based on the characteristics of root diameter distributions of <em>Elymus dahuricus</em> measured in the field, and the equivalent elastic modulus and strength parameters of the composites were calculated. The accuracy of the homogenization method was verified by direct shear tests with undisturbed soil-root samples. The results showed that the UC model of the soil-root composites could effectively predict its equivalent elastic parameters. A parametric analysis using the proposed homogenization model showed that roots can mobilize significant soil portions to resist deformation by increasing both the number and complexity of root distributions, even at the same root volume ratio. This makes the stress distribution in the soil more uniform and improves the shear strength of the soil-root composites. The presence of <em>Elymus dahuricus</em> roots significantly improved the shear strength of the soil-root composites, primarily due to an increase in cohesion of 23%. This study presents a new perspective on the development of a constitutive model for soil-root composites and highlights its potential value for engineering applications that use roots to reinforce soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 108896"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143799092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Post-wildfire wind and water erosion could accelerate toxic metals and nutrients movements on subtropical karst hillslopes","authors":"Lingqiu An,&nbsp;Lunjiang Wang,&nbsp;Tingye Wu,&nbsp;Shuhui Zou,&nbsp;Ziyang Tian,&nbsp;Jing Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Postfire nutrients and toxic heavy metals movements threaten the clean water supply and ecosystem maintenance in the karst region. However, the complexity of these processes and spatial heterogeneities of burning severity and karst landscape limit the study of these processes. In this study, we disentangled the complexities by dividing the processes into wind-dominated and water-dominated periods. Field sampling, artificial burning and overland flow detachment, and in-situ observations were conducted on both burn and unburned sites. The results exhibited that wildfire induced ash produced P, As, and Cd. Approximately 70 % of ash was lost driven by the wind in only 1.5 months after the wildfire. The loss was significant two years after the fires. The combustion-induced ash had twice more P than the unburned soil. However, it lost fast via ash wind erosion after the fire. The combustion promoted rock surface weathering, which increased soil nutrients and heavy metals after rainfall occurred. The effect was offsetted by water erosion in the wet season. In the water-dominated period, 4.26 mm of land surface soil was eroded by the raindrops and overland flow due to the reduced soil resistance to erosion and land surface cover. Water erosion could promote soil particle-absorbed nutrients and toxic metal migration on the land surface and through the subsurface fractures. This study calls for controls of the wind and water coupled processes on soil erosion, heavy metals, and nutrient movements for post-wildfire land management in the subtropical karst region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 109006"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143800646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Altitude-induced shifts in bacterial communities involved in soil organic phosphorus cycling on Taibai mountain","authors":"Lianhao Zhou ,&nbsp;Quan Zhou ,&nbsp;Yanan Chen ,&nbsp;Quanchao Zeng ,&nbsp;Jun Li ,&nbsp;Man Hu ,&nbsp;Baohong Yu ,&nbsp;Ruifeng Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil phosphorus cycle is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and promoting ecosystem development, with microorganisms serving as key drivers of this process. Soil <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacteria are vital for enhancing plant nutrient uptake and sustaining the functions of montane forest ecosystems. However, the patterns and potential mechanisms underlying <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacterial communities across altitudinal gradients in alpine forest soils remain unclear. Utilizing high-throughput sequencing, this study examined the impact of altitude, vegetation, and soil factors on <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacteria in alpine forest soils. The results showed that altitude significantly affected the diversity and composition of <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacterial communities in alpine forest soils. The alpha diversity of <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacteria in low-altitude soils (2210 m) was significantly higher than that in other altitude ranges (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). As altitudinal gradient increased, the number of nodes and edges within the bacterial networks encoding <em>phoD</em> consistently decreased, leading to reduced network complexity and weakened inter-community interactions. Simultaneously, phoD-encoding bacterial community structure exhibited comparable structural features at similar altitudes. Notably, Pseudomonas and Actinobacteria were dominant groups carrying the <em>phoD</em> gene in high-altitude forest ecosystems, playing key roles in the soil phosphorus cycle. Altitude, soil pH, and plant diversity were identified as the main factors driving the structure of soil <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacterial communities. The altitude differentiation of <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacteria revealed the spatial heterogeneity of phosphate mineralization ability, and the effect of plant diversity on <em>phoD</em>-encoding bacteria indicated that plant species selection and soil microbial function should be considered in future vegetation restoration and management. This study offered new insights into phosphorus cycling mechanisms in mountainous ecosystems and provided scientific guidance for climate change adaptation and alpine forest management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 109014"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Terracing stabilizes and enhances soil organic carbon sequestration benefits of revegetation on the Loess Plateau, China","authors":"Hui Cheng ,&nbsp;Hao Feng ,&nbsp;Xiaoping Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhiguang Li ,&nbsp;Kaiyang Yu ,&nbsp;Hongbin Ma ,&nbsp;Jia Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Revegetation is vital for enhancing carbon sequestration. However, the impacts of revegetation and terracing measures on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and SOC sequestration (SOCS), and the differences in the effects of revegetation measures on SOC and SOCS between sloped and terraced fields remain unclear. We conducted a field survey of cropland (CL), grassland (GL), and forestland (FL) in both sloped and terraced fields in Wuqi county, on China’s Loess Plateau. Revegetation in sloped fields significantly increased the SOC content at 0–10 cm depth (GL: <em>p</em> = 0.04; FL: <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). However, revegetation in terraced fields enhanced the SOC content at 0–100 cm (GL at 40–80 cm: <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05; FL: <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). Terracing measures increased the SOC content, particularly in the subsoil, with the impact varying by land-use types. For FL, terracing significantly increased (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) the SOC content in 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm, 60–80 cm and 80–100 cm by 38.2 %, 53.5 %, 41.1 % and 44.7 %, respectively. For GL, terracing significantly enhanced (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) the SOC content at 40–60 cm and 60–80 cm by 32.0 % and 39.7 %, respectively. For CL, terracing did not significantly increase the SOC content. In sloped fields, revegetation reduced deep soil moisture and clay content, decreased subsoil SOC content, and led to an initial increase followed by a decrease in SOCS with depth. In terraced fields, revegetation enhanced SOC content and offset the negative effects on soil moisture and clay content, resulting in increased SOCS with depth. Revegetation primarily enhanced the SOCS at 0–40 cm, and terracing measures stabilized the SOCS in the 0–40 cm layers and further enhanced it in the 40–100 cm layers. In the context of soil erosion control and ecological restoration, implementing vegetation restoration with engineering measures can effectively stabilize and enhance the SOCS, fully leveraging the role of soil in mitigating climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 109018"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143799218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental drivers of soil organic carbon in the Australian rangelands","authors":"Mingxi Zhang,&nbsp;Lewis Walden,&nbsp;Zefang Shen,&nbsp;R.A. Viscarra Rossel","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108952","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108952","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil organic carbon (SOC) is vital for maintaining healthy ecosystems and providing benefits beyond climate change mitigation. The Australian rangelands occupy a large area and have arid, semi-arid, and tropical climates in the north. They constitute Australia’s most significant carbon sink. Identifying the key drivers of SOC content variation across the different conditions in these regions remains an important knowledge gap. We use a quantitative hierarchical framework and data-driven methods to systematically analyse the controls of SOC variation over the large rangelands scale, regionally and locally, in two soil layers, 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm. At the rangelands scale, vegetation, climate, and topography are the main controls of SOC. At the regional scale, vegetation cover and type, plant species richness, terrain features, soil texture and mineralogy, and microbial diversity determine the variation in SOC content. At the local scale, where the climate does not limit plant carbon inputs, vegetation type is the most significant driver. In regions where a drier and more variable climate restricts carbon inputs into the soil, vegetation type, biomass, and soil mineralogy determine the differences in SOC content. Despite the relatively lower plant species richness in tropical regions, vegetation contributes positively to SOC in both soil layers. In contrast, in areas where aridity increases along climatic gradients, vegetation negatively affects SOC in the 20–30 cm soil layer. Our results provide insights into the drivers of SOC content in Australian rangelands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 108952"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143799217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A lake-depth study of Late Glacial and Holocene oxbow deposits using parallel paleoecological and sedimentological analysis","authors":"D. Pawłowski ,&nbsp;A. Hrynowiecka ,&nbsp;T.P. Luoto ,&nbsp;L. Nevalainen ,&nbsp;T. Zieliński","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to determine the depth of paleo-oxbow lakes through analyses of subfossil cladoceran, pollen, lithological, geomorphological, sedimentological and radiocarbon data. Different approaches to reconstructing the water depth are used. Particular attention has been paid to the results of the comparison of a cladoceran-based water-depth inference model with the results of paleohydraulic estimates based on the geometry of river paleochannels. We show that a trait-based ecological approach using cladocerans gives similar water-depth values for past oxbow lakes as does the approach employing sedimentological and geomorphological data. A Finnish cladoceran-based inference model was used to reconstruct water depth. The results of these reconstructions indicate a depth of ca. 4.3–4.4 m for the onset of the paleo-oxbow development in the Warta River valley. This is in agreement with the sedimentological and geomorphological methods of thalweg calculation for the large Warta River in the Late Glacial, which has radius of meander of 355 m and shows a depth values of 4.3 m. Our research has allowed us to test the usefulness of abiotic and biological methods in estimating the values of paleo-oxbow water depths both regionally and temporally, and the results can be compared to yield a better understanding of ecosystem–climate relationships. Comparison with the results of water-depth estimation using cladoceran and sedimentological methods from other river valleys in central Poland gives the same depths for the paleo-oxbows, which corresponds to their size resulting from adequate discharge during the LG. The estimated oxbow water depth from the Warta River valley during the end of the Younger Dryas was about 2 m, and about 1.3–1.5 m for the Holocene, which is consistent with our studies from the Grabia River valley for this period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 109002"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143791827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maize/cover crop intercropping mitigates soil erosion and enhances yield of ridge cultivation in Chinese Mollisol region","authors":"Shuaikang Liu ,&nbsp;Aihua Dong ,&nbsp;Biao Niu ,&nbsp;Fengyi Xu ,&nbsp;Jili Xu ,&nbsp;Lina Yin ,&nbsp;Shiwen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Severe soil erosion has led to large-scale sloping farmland degradation and destruction in the Mollisol of Northeast China. Intercropping cover crops with the main crop is a potential agroecological practice to reduce soil erosion in the current intensive cropping systems, if the grain yield of the main crop is not compromised. In this study, we intercropped six cover crops (calopo, pigeon pea, Chinese milk vetch, oilseed rape, oilseed radish and woad) with contrasting functional traits in the furrow of maize ridge cropping system to evaluate their effects on maize grain yield and soil erosion. The field experiment was conducted in 2022 and 2023 on a 4.2° slope farmland in the Mollisol region of Northeast China. The results showed that the effects of cover crop intercropping on maize grain yield and soil erosion control varied with cover crop species and their phenological and morphological characteristics. Cover crops, which emerged late and had relatively low plant height and aboveground biomass in the early growth stages of maize, had no significant effect on maize growth. In terms of soil erosion control, cover crops with higher stem density and stem diameter density provided more effective soil erosion control. Based on agronomic and environmental evaluations, Chinese milk vetch and woad are the most suitable cover crops for maize/cover crop intercropping systems, which increased maize yield by 0.6–13.5% and reduced annual soil loss by 80.6–88.3%. These results justify that intercropping suitable cover crops with maize is an effective soil erosion control strategy that ensures high yield production without changes in existing mechanized farming practices on sloping farmland in the Mollisol region of Northeast China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"255 ","pages":"Article 109012"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143785248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-resolution assessment of a hillslope affected by a debris flow 3-years after a wildfire","authors":"Álvaro Gómez-Gutiérrez,&nbsp;Manuel Sánchez-Fernández,&nbsp;Susanne Schnabel,&nbsp;J. Francisco Lavado-Contador","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Debris flows (DFs) constitute a major hazard in mountainous environments, particularly in Mediterranean regions where the confluence of intense rainfall, frequent wildfires, steep topography, and a long and evolving history of land use favour their occurrence. This study investigates the dynamics of a hillslope in the Spanish Central System mountain range that experienced a wildfire in 2016 and a DF in 2019. Four LIDAR datasets (three acquired by a piloted aircraft and one by an Unmanned Aerial System) covering the period from 2011 to 2024 were used to calculate 3D changes from the point clouds. The study of hillslope dynamics was complemented by the utilization of rainfall data and additional cartographic products (ortophotographs, connectivity maps, digital elevation models, etc.). From 2011 to 2018, sheetwash erosion was the dominant process (with an average surface lowering of −4 cm·y^-1), favoured by vegetation cover degradation caused by the 2016 wildfire. In 2019 a shallow landslide that evolved into a DF took place, mobilising 54 % of the total eroded material between 2018 and 2023. From 2023 to 2024, stabilization was observed in the upper portion of the hillslope, while the lower part continued to erode (with an average lowering of −3 cm·y^-1). The DF increased connectivity within the channel and the scarp, fragmented the drainage on the hillslope through the formation of discontinuous levees and rills, and partially blocked the stream at the bottom of the hillslope. Rainfall data enabled the establishment of a new regional Intensity-Duration threshold for the development of fire-related DFs. Our study demonstrates that relatively common rainstorms can trigger fire-related DFs, which significantly alter hydrological connectivity, and this can occur several years after the fire.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108999"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143776403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal response pattern of nutrient loss to rainfall–runoff dynamics across different timescales","authors":"Di Chang ,&nbsp;Shuo Li ,&nbsp;Zhengqing Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108995","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study contributes to bridging the gaps in heterogeneous spatiotemporal effects of rainfall-runoff dynamics on nutrient loss. The specific aim was to reveal the spatiotemporal response pattern of nutrient loss to rainfall–runoff variations across different timescales. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was constructed to achieve distributed simulations of runoff and nutrient loss. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized streamflow index (SSI) were calculated to capture rainfall-runoff dynamics across different timescales. Spatiotemporal response pattern was explored by integrating the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression, Cross Wavelet Transform, and the global spatial autocorrelation. Overall, the findings highlighted obvious spatial heterogeneity and temporal non-stationary of rainfall-runoff effects on nutrient loss. Their correlation shifts along spatiotemporal trajectories rather than constant. From 1990 to 2020, around 60% of sub-watersheds showed decreased trends in TN loss, while 56% experienced increases in TP loss. Spatial heterogeneity in SPI/SSI and TN/TP loss increased with time. Relationships between SPI/SSI and TN/TP loss demonstrated periodic fluctuation. The overall spatiotemporal relations of TN/TP loss with SPI/SSI were generally higher at 3-month timescale, demonstrating nutrient loss is more influenced by the cumulative effects of rainfall-runoff from current month and the two preceding months. Of which, rainfall has stronger effect on nutrient loss than runoff. Cumulative rainfall from May to October primarily influenced annual nutrient loss. The response period of TN loss to runoff lagged behind rainfall, and the response period of TP loss to runoff was longer than TN. Increased rainfall variability intensified spatial heterogeneity in nutrient loss, with a higher effect on TN compared to TP. This study improves the understanding on spatiotemporal relation of rainfall-runoff and nutrient loss.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108995"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143776399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rees spatial distribution of dune sands reveals differences of regional surface processes in the Taklamakan desert","authors":"Li Chen ,&nbsp;Feng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The spatial heterogeneity of the sediment composition is a crucial aspect in desert research due to variations in factors such as the provenance, weathering, and transport. The Taklamakan Desert, which is the world’s second largest mobile dune desert, presents an opportunity to investigate the spatial differentiation of the material composition of dune sand and its underlying factors. However, previous studies have been limited by inadequate methodologies and restricted sample distributions. Utilizing rare earth elements (REEs) as effective tracers of sediment sources and surface processes can offer a novel perspective on addressing these knowledge gaps. In this study, we collected 109 dune sand samples (125–250 μm) with a uniform spatial distribution from the desert for rare earth element analysis. We found that (1) the total REEs concentrations, differentiation between the light are earth elements (LREEs) and the heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), LREEs differentiation, and HREEs differentiation of the dune sands in the desert gradually increase from east to west. (2) The dune sands from the western region of the desert exhibit negative Eu anomalies, while those from the eastern region of the desert mainly exhibit positive Eu anomalies. (3) The presence of groundwater in the different desert regions can potentially influence the weathering process of the desert sand under high evaporation conditions. (4) The regional differences in the REE compositions of the Taklamakan Desert sands are influenced by the spatial differences in the local wind conditions and hydrological conditions, which may reflect the difference in the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the Tianshan Mountains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108956"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143776397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}