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{"title":"Tracking long-term wetland dynamics based on sample migration and two-stage hierarchical classification: A case study of Jiangsu Province","authors":"Jingtai Li ,&nbsp;Xiaorou He ,&nbsp;Yao Liu ,&nbsp;Chenyan Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaowei Wu ,&nbsp;Dandan Yan ,&nbsp;Zhaoqing Luan","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108993","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108993","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wetlands play crucial ecological roles in carbon sequestration, flood control, and biodiversity preservation. The effective long-term monitoring of wetland dynamics is essential for sustainable management and conservation. However, obtaining wetland samples over multiple years and ensuring high classification accuracy pose unique challenges for precise extraction and spatiotemporal analyses. To address these issues, a sample migration algorithm was used to describe the interannual migration of wetland classification samples. The object-based hierarchical random forest (OBHRF) and object-based hierarchical decision tree (OBHDT) methods were integrated and combined with Landsat time-series data to map 11 wetland types and assess wetland dynamics in Jiangsu Province from 1985 to 2021. Change detection was used to investigate the land-use or landcover factors driving wetland dynamics, and a multivariate linear regression model was used to investigate the factors affecting interannual changes in wetland area. The optimal threshold for the cross-year migration of wetland samples occurred at a Euclidean distance ≤ 0.09, and a spectral angular distance ≥ 0.97. The overall accuracy of the wetland maps exceeded 79.36 %. Spatiotemporal dynamic analysis revealed a decline in the natural wetland area from 41.61 × 10³ km² to 39.12 × 10³ km², with over 68.5 % of the loss attributed to the expansion of aquaculture ponds and dry farmland from 1985 to 2021. Artificial wetlands increased from 31.71 × 10³ km² to 35.38 × 10³ km², with over 78.66 % of the gain attributed to the reduction in dry farmland. Policy-regulated economic development and population size were the main factors affecting changes in wetland areas. This study successfully mapped detailed long-term wetland maps and identified the drivers of wetland dynamics. The findings of this study provide an important reference for accurate wetland classification and contribute to the sustainable utilization and protection of wetlands in Jiangsu and across China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108993"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739789","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":"Biogeographic variations in soil respiration and its basal rate across China suggest thermal adaptation, substrate limitation, and soil moisture constraint","authors":"Zifan Guo ,&nbsp;Jiajia Zheng ,&nbsp;Xin Jia ,&nbsp;Charles P.-A. Bourque ,&nbsp;Tianshan Zha ,&nbsp;Chuan Jin ,&nbsp;Mingze Xu ,&nbsp;Xuefei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and aims</h3><div>Understanding the spatial variations in ecosystem carbon (C) fluxes is essential for predicting regional C budgets under future climate and land use change. Biogeographic variations and regulating factors of soil respiration (<em>R_s</em>) and its basal rate (e.g., at 10 °C, <em>R_s</em>₁₀) remain largely uncertain.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We synthesized 788 and 606 records of annual <em>R_s</em> and <em>R_s</em>₁₀, respectively, from 357 published papers to examine how <em>R_s</em> and <em>R_s</em>₁₀ vary spatially across China and as a function of environmental factors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Annual <em>R_s</em> ranged 51–2480 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ across sites. It increased with increasing mean annual air temperature, potential evapotranspiration (<em>PET</em>), and soil temperature, and decreased with increasing latitude and altitude, whereas <em>R_s</em>₁₀ exhibited the opposite trend. Negative <em>R_s</em>₁₀–temperature relationships suggest higher respiratory activity in colder areas, possibly a result of the thermal adaptation of <em>R_s</em>. Annual <em>R_s</em> was significantly enhanced by increasing mean annual precipitation (<em>MAP</em>) and aridity index (i.e., <em>AI</em>, ratio of <em>MAP</em> to <em>PET</em>), but <em>R_s</em>₁₀ was not correlated with <em>MAP</em> and was less sensitive to <em>AI</em>. Both annual <em>R_s</em> and <em>R_s</em>₁₀ showed a unimodal relationship with soil moisture and increased linearly with soil organic C and total nitrogen (N). However, neither annual <em>R_s</em> nor <em>R_s</em>₁₀ was correlated with soil C:N, suggesting that <em>R_s</em> was constrained by soil water, substrate, and nutrient availability, but was less affected by substrate quality. Multivariate analyses (random forest analysis, hierarchical variance partitioning, relative weight analysis, and structural equation modeling) generally supported the patterns observed from bivariate relationships.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our study suggests thermal adaptation, substrate limitation, and soil moisture constraint of <em>R_s</em> at the regional scale. Accordingly, terrestrial C cycle models should adequately consider the dependence of the basal rate of <em>R_s</em> on climatic and soil factors to accurately predict regional C budgets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108992"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739790","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":"Trade-off between organic and inorganic carbon in soils under alfalfa-grass-cropland rotation","authors":"Xintan Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiangyan Feng ,&nbsp;Abeer S. Aloufi ,&nbsp;Ekaterina Filimonenko ,&nbsp;Jie Zhou ,&nbsp;Kazem Zamanian ,&nbsp;Feng-Min Li ,&nbsp;Yakov Kuzyakov","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108994","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108994","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Introducing perennials to traditional cropland is an effective way to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, but the influence on soil inorganic carbon (SIC) stocks has yet to be understood. Alfalfa-grass-cropland (AGC) rotation involves the initial planting of alfalfa, which gradually degrades into a natural grassland over time, and is eventually reclaimed and converted back into cropland. The effects of AGC rotations with short, medium, and long periods of perennial growth (16, 22, and 27 years from alfalfa planting to natural grassland) on soil total C (SOC + SIC) stocks up to a depth of 2 m were investigated. The AGC rotation had opposite effects on organic and inorganic C stocks. SOC stocks increased with the duration of perennials due to raised soil nitrogen (N) stocks. SOC accumulation, however, was offset by decreasing the SIC stock with a prolonged duration of perennials attributed to soil acidification. Consequently, the soil total C stock increased by only 3 % during 22-year perennial growth, while minimal changes were observed for periods of 16 and 27 years. This study underscores the necessity for increased efforts for SIC management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108994"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739590","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":"Effects of thinning on soil water content and water use characteristics of artificial forest in the Loess Plateau of China","authors":"Yu Liu ,&nbsp;Yue Li ,&nbsp;Guangyao Gao ,&nbsp;Lei Jiao ,&nbsp;Zongshan Li ,&nbsp;Zhaolin Li ,&nbsp;Cong Wang ,&nbsp;Di Wang ,&nbsp;Lide Tian ,&nbsp;Bojie Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108997","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108997","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stand thinning, an important means of forest management, can alleviate soil drying and vegetation degradation caused by excessive afforestation in semi-arid regions. However, how thinning affects leaf-scale and root water use characteristics of artificial forests in different hydrological years remains unclear. In this study, the soil moisture, sap flow, and stable isotopes (δ2H, δ18O, and δ13C) were observed to investigate the effects of thinning (heavy to light) on stand transpiration, soil water sources, and leaf-scale water use efficiency (WUEi) of <em>Robinia pseudoacacia</em> within three years (2020–2022) in the Loess Plateau. The results showed a relatively higher contribution of shallow-middle soil water (0–300 cm) to <em>R. pseudoacacia</em> and a higher soil water content in deep layer (300–500 cm) in thinning plots compared to non-thinning plot. In the normal (2020) and wet (2021) years, an “upward shift” water uptake pattern from deep to shallow-middle soil layers of <em>R. pseudoacacia</em> in thinning plots was observed. In the meantime, thinning led to a significant decrease in transpiration (45.1 % and 40.3 %) and an increase in WUE_i (12.0 % and 10.9 %) of <em>R. pseudoacacia</em> in heavy and light thinning plots. However, <em>R. pseudoacacia</em> in turn shifted water uptake depths to deep layer (37.6 %-47.2 %) in the third year with less precipitation (2022). The thinning effects on transpiration and WUEi of <em>R. pseudoacacia</em> also weakened in 2022. There was a linear positive correlation of WUEi with transpiration rate and shallow soil water use, while WUEi was negatively related to the middle and deep soil water contributions to <em>R. pseudoacacia</em>, with a higher slope in thinning plots compared to non-thinning plot, indicating the shifting water absorption strategy of <em>R. pseudoacacia</em> to improve ecological adaptability by thinning. Overall, the temporary effects of thinning on soil moisture and water use characteristics should be fully integrated into forest ecosystem restoration and management efforts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108997"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739787","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":"Holocene changes in moisture source and temperature revealed by the oxygen isotopic composition of fossil Daphnia ephippia in Sierra Nevada, southern Spain","authors":"Charo López-Blanco ,&nbsp;Antonio García-Alix ,&nbsp;Isabel Sánchez-Almazo ,&nbsp;Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno ,&nbsp;R.Scott Anderson","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108984","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108984","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study of oxygen isotopes in chitin and its use as a paleoclimatic proxy is still under development. The low oxygen content of chitin and the low sample weight of fossils have hindered this research topic, even though there is evidence of a strong correlation between the oxygen isotopic composition of chitin and the isotopic composition of the host water. In order to further this research we present a paleoclimatic reconstruction based on δ¹⁸O of cladoceran remains from the lake sediments of Laguna de Río Seco, Sierra Nevada, Spain. Here, modern water isotopic data were used as a modern analogue to establish an important influence on evaporative enrichment as the ice-free season advances. The oxygen isotope signal from <em>Daphnia</em> resting eggs was used as a proxy for autumn snapshots of the water isotopic composition at millennial time scales. Long-term changes were controlled by the moisture source and the summer insolation. Between deglaciation and 4.2 kyr BP, δ¹⁸O measurements exhibited generally depleted values only interrupted by a peak at ∼ 7.2 kyr BP, concurrent with a temperature maximum inferred from earlier quantitative reconstructions. A predominantly Atlantic moisture source and changes in the evaporation related to seasonality explained the isotopic variability at that time. From 4.2 kyr BP onwards, a notable enrichment in this isotopic signal occurred, which was consistent with greater influence of a Mediterranean precipitation source and higher evaporation at lower lake levels. This new isotope record provides a unique application of paleoclimates from cladocerans, which goes beyond the taxonomic and numerative methodology traditionally used in subfossil cladoceran analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108984"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739588","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":"Ecological impact of rain splash erosion on saline-alkali grassland surfaces under photovoltaic panels","authors":"Siyu Li ,&nbsp;Shanmin Qu ,&nbsp;Dongmei Zhang ,&nbsp;Weiguang Yang ,&nbsp;Xiangping Liu ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Liu ,&nbsp;Yu Zhao ,&nbsp;Wei Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108988","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108988","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photovoltaic panels (PVPs) in grasslands are arranged in such a way that they capture rainfall, which subsequently drips from the edges and causes splash erosion in the grassland, ultimately destroying the natural ecological environment. As such, PVPs can adversely affect fragile saline-alkali habitats, but the precise ecological impact of PVP-caused rainfall splash erosion on saline-alkali grassland has yet to be quantified. To explore the impact of splash erosion on the saline-alkali grassland under PVPs, an investigation was performed here on various surfaces commonly underneath PVPs. These surfaces were typical bare saline-alkali surface (B), <em>Suaeda glauca</em> surface (S) and <em>Leymus chinensis</em> surface (L), and all were positioned under PVPs in the Songnen Plain saline-alkali grassland. The soil splash erosion ditch morphology, the plant community status, and the field-measured soil properties of the three underlying surfaces were all analyzed as part of this investigation in accordance with the observed impact of splash erosion on the three underlying surface ecosystems. Ultimately, the splash erosion generated four ditches in the underlying surfaces, with the degree of soil loss ranked from greatest to smallest as B &gt; S &gt; L. According to the RDA results, vegetation coverage was the main factor affecting splash ditch morphology. The vegetation of the <em>S. glauca</em> surface was fragmented following splash erosion. Much of the <em>S. glauca</em> in the splash erosion ditch died, resulting in a 33.47 %–64.66 % reduction in coverage. In contrast, <em>L. chinensis</em> maintained a higher coverage, which means that it inhibited splash erosion more effectively. For the bare surface, the rainfall splash reduced pH and Ec, and <em>S. glauca</em> began to grow along the edge of the ditch. Collectively, our study quantified the impact of rain splash erosion under PVPs in a saline-alkali grassland ecosystem, comparing the difference in the degree of splash erosion among three different underlying surfaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108988"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739589","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":"Gully evolution and numerical simulation using the SIMWE model in Brazil","authors":"Marcos Eduardo Hartwig ,&nbsp;João Pedro Inacio Alves","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108991","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108991","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gullies epitomize the pinnacle of hillslope erosion, causing significant economic and environmental losses worldwide. Within the municipality of Alegre, located in the State of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, approximately a hundred gullies have been identified. This study endeavors to delineate the spatio-temporal evolution of two such gullies, alongside evaluating the efficiency of the SIMulation of Water Erosion (SIMWE) model. The methodology integrates aerial photogrammetric surveys, multitemporal image analysis, hillslope morphology assessment, geological and pedological analysis, geotechnical soil testing, and numerical modeling. Two scenarios were considered for the numerical simulation: one representing a single extreme rainfall event and the other accounting for a series of rainfall events from 2007 to 2021. The study reveals that sizable gullies, measuring thousands of cubic meters and carved in steep slopes, can undergo rapid expansion within just over a decade. The origin of these gullies is linked to terracette failures caused by intensive cattle farming practices. Their evolution is influenced by multiple interacting factors, including landslides, soil cracks, and variations in soil horizon erodibility. Furthermore, the SIMWE algorithm aids in understanding surface runoff dynamics, pinpointing the highest erosion rates in tandem with the emergence of gullies. The SIMWE model is a valuable tool for identifying areas prone to hillslope erosion. However, it was unable to accurately replicate long-term gullying.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108991"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735107","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":"Mechanisms of land use change effects on soil quality in ancient terraces based on the minimum data set approach","authors":"Xiao Peiyao ,&nbsp;Hao Yuying ,&nbsp;Liu Yaojun ,&nbsp;Deng Chuxiong ,&nbsp;Li Wenqing ,&nbsp;Zhang Guangye ,&nbsp;Li Taoxi ,&nbsp;Ma Yichun ,&nbsp;Lei Ming ,&nbsp;Long Yu ,&nbsp;Li Zhongwu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108990","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108990","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Widespread land use changes in ancient rice terraces significantly influence soil quality in mountainous regions, impacting its ecological functions. However, the effects of land use changes on soil quality and the underlying factors remain unclear. This study investigates ancient rice terraces and their conversion into dry lands and forest lands in Ziquejie, Hunan Province. Soil samples were collected from a 0–120 cm depth profile, and 14 physicochemical and 6 biological properties were assessed. Soil quality was assessed using linear and non-linear scoring techniques and three indicator selection methods (total, minimum, and revised minimum data sets). The findings showed that the non-linear scoring method was more reliable than the linear method for soil quality assessments. The minimum data set (MDS) from the non-linear scoring method demonstrated a significant coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.51, an F-value of 26.24, and a sensitivity index (SI) of 13.43, indicating its strong suitability for assessing soil quality. The transition from paddy fields to dry lands and forest lands resulted in a 43.9 % and 47.3 % decrease in soil quality, respectively. This land use change also caused a progressive decline in soil quality with depth, increasing reductions by 190.1 % and 131.8 %, respectively. Path analysis revealed that chemical properties significantly influence biological attributes, and multiple regression analysis further demonstrated that land use changes predominantly affect soil profile quality by regulating dissolved organic carbon (DOC), subsequently influencing bacterial diversity. The MDS non-linear assessment method effectively evaluates soil quality changes in terraces due to land use, primarily driven by biological and chemical factors. Future efforts should focus on minimizing terrace land use conversion to maintain soil quality and enhance productivity in agroforestry systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108990"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735163","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":"Impact of river regulation on gravel bar decline and vegetation expansion over recent decades","authors":"Adriana Holušová,&nbsp;Tomáš Galia","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108910","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108910","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many gravel-bed rivers in the Carpathians have undergone extensive regulation that has completely changed their geomorphic regime. Formerly rich in gravel bars, these river systems are now deprived of geomorphologically effective flows and sediment supply, resulting in the disappearance of gravel bars or the loss of their natural dynamic behavior due to vegetation overgrowth.</div><div>This study examines the effects of regulations on the development of gravel bars by comparing the historical condition in the 1950s (with limited human influence) with the recent period (2000–2022), and by analyzing the effectiveness of hydrological events and the development of in-channel vegetation in the recent period, in two heavily regulated gravel-bed rivers: the dammed Ostravice and the free-flowing Olše.</div><div>Rivers with abundant gravel bars underwent extensive channel regulations in the 1950s, which significantly reduced bar widths and lengths, as well as the total area of gravel bars. Hydrologically effective flows during bar reworking were associated with large floods (1997, 2010) or high flows in 2014, an effect facilitated by the previous flood event and the lack of resistance of highly vegetated bar surfaces. The remainder of the study period experienced progressive vegetation succession or only partial bar reworking. Overall, the dammed river showed more profound shifts in gravel bar morphology towards progressive bar narrowing and elongation and rapid vegetation succession than the less regulated river. This study provides insights into the development of gravel bars in regulated rivers of Central Europe, and highlights, from a management perspective, the potential loss of ecologically valuable habitats.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108910"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716014","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":"Archaeological soils as archive of pedogenesis and human-landscape interactions: Classification issues and research challenges","authors":"Radu Gabriel Pîrnău ,&nbsp;Bogdan Roșca ,&nbsp;Cristian Valeriu Patriche ,&nbsp;Felix Adrian Tencariu ,&nbsp;Andrei Asăndulesei","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108977","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108977","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current knowledge about archaeological soils comes from a long-standing but sporadic collaboration between soil surveyors and archaeologists, who focused mainly on the geoarchaeological interpretation of sites stratigraphy and soil-based environmental reconstructions, whilst the classification of these soils was less approached. The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of the current WRB system to classify archaeological soils, considering their particularities and capacity to store information on both environmental characteristics and man-landscape interactions during the pedogenesis. The focus in this paper is on the Archaic qualifier, which was introduced in WRB ten years ago specifically to describe and classify soils in archaeological context. The study was based on a single archaeological site situated in north-eastern Romania, which has a twofold historical significance: it was inhabited about five millennia ago during Cucuteni culture and it was heavily affected by warfare during WW II. The results indicated that, although the current Technosols and Anthrosols Reference Soil Groups (RSGs) are generally suitable for classifying archaeological soils, the Archaic qualifier has a narrow applicability and has been very rarely used since its allocation to the Technosols RSG. Accordingly, we proposed the supplementation of the Archaic qualifier definition, reconsideration of cambic and argic diagnostic horizons in Anthrosols and Technosols, as well as the inclusion of a new Militaric qualifier to classify warfare soils in WRB. We conclude that the classification inconsistencies are mainly related with the lack of sharply defined taxonomic criteria and research methods, which hampers the understanding of their development and spatial distribution, as well as their inventory and a better representation in the soil policy instruments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108977"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716015","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}