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{"title":"Topographic primacy in rock glacier distribution revealed by GAMs and their water storage: Insights from a new polygonised inventory of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Ping Fu ,&nbsp;Shuyang Xu ,&nbsp;Tian Jia ,&nbsp;Yang Zhan ,&nbsp;Qian Zhang ,&nbsp;Yingkui Li","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109908","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109908","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rock glaciers constitute essential freshwater reservoirs in high-mountain regions. Despite their hydrological and ecological importance, few studies have been conducted in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Existing research exploring their drivers and predicting their distribution has been limited due to historically restricted datasets and the application of a limited number of drivers. We mapped 9543 rock glaciers and comprehensively analysed their spatial distribution against an extensive suite of environmental variables by leveraging emerging global and regional datasets. The rock glaciers in this area have distinct morphometric characteristics (mean length = 601 m; area = 0.1 km²; elevation = 4558 m a.s.l.; slope = 20.8°) and show predominant N-NW aspect orientation. They present on certain climatic conditions (mean annual temperature = −3.2 °C; annual precipitation = 769 mm; mean annual ground temperature = 0.9 °C; annual snow duration = 227 days; snow index = 22.1). Generalized additive modelling combining factors from multiple environmental categories demonstrated superior performance, indicating complex controls on rock glacier formation. Our analyses reveal that while climatic and cryospheric factors exhibit strong correlations, topographic variables, particularly relief, serve as more robust predictors of rock glacier distribution. Hydrologically, these features store 0.3–0.8 times the water equivalent of modern glaciers, highlighting their importance for regional water storage and downstream supply. Observed vegetation expansion at lower elevations suggests ongoing periglacial stabilization, a process projected to intensify with climate warming. These findings emphasize the critical need for systematic monitoring of rock glaciers as both climate-sensitive indicators and vital components of mountain water cycles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109908"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171036","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":"Energy balance effects of extreme snow events on shallow frozen and thawed surfaces in highland pastoral areas","authors":"Zhenghu Ge ,&nbsp;Hongchao Dun ,&nbsp;Rezaali Pakzad ,&nbsp;Guang Li ,&nbsp;Ning Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109810","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109810","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy balance serves as a critical benchmark for validating land-atmosphere interaction models. Extreme snowfall events profoundly alter snowpack dynamics and disrupt shallow soil energy partitioning during freeze-thaw cycles, yet remain inadequately characterized. We established meteorological stations near Namtso Lake in the alpine grasslands, monitoring air and soil parameters (temperature, moisture), radiation fluxes, and snow depth to quantify energy budget perturbations under extreme conditions. The study phase successfully captured rare extreme snowfall events and concurrent surface freeze-thaw processes, providing pivotal observational data. Novel computational approaches were subsequently developed to quantify individual energy fluxes, enabling rigorous assessment of energy balance within this complex environment. Extreme snowfall exerts dominant control over energy partitioning during soil freeze-thaw cycles, significantly modifying surface energy fluxes despite diminishing effects on closure rate with increasing snow depth. Our findings reveal that: (1) Individual energy fluxes maintain diurnal cyclicity independent of snow cover; (2) Energy closure is enhanced during snowfall phases relative to snowmelt phases; (3) The Energy Closure Ratio (CR) during snowfall exhibits a concave relationship with snow depth (initial decrease followed by increase), while CR during snowmelt demonstrates monotonic decline. This study advances our understanding of snow-permafrost interactions in mid-latitude, high-elevation regions, providing a mechanistic framework for analyzing extreme snow events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109810"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076239","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":"Permafrost degradation: A critical driver of aboveground carbon sink loss in China's boreal forests","authors":"Hong Yang ,&nbsp;Jie Tang ,&nbsp;Xiaoqing Chang ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Wang ,&nbsp;Weishu Gong ,&nbsp;Dejun Wang ,&nbsp;Yanqiu Xing","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109912","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109912","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Permafrost degradation is emerging as a major disturbance factor affecting boreal forests, altering vegetation and carbon sinks in these ecosystems. Yet, the specific influence of permafrost degradation on the carbon budget of boreal ecosystems remains inadequately understood. Here, we reconstructed annual Aboveground Biomass (AGB) stocks across the boreal forests of Northeast China (NEC) from 1988 to 2023 using multi-source satellite data. Although total regional AGB increased by 210.47 Tg over the study period, pronounced spatial heterogeneity was observed in relation to permafrost stability. Partial correlation and sensitivity analyses indicate that soil freeze–thaw dynamics exert the dominant control on AGB variability in continuous and discontinuous permafrost zones, where earlier thaw generally promotes forest growth. In contrast, biomass declines were primarily concentrated in the sporadic permafrost zone. These patterns reflect a transition from energy-limited to water-limited growth conditions under prolonged thaw, whereby the positive effects of extended growing seasons are increasingly offset by thaw-induced hydrological decoupling and associated physiological drought. Additionally, we compared the output from process-based models with satellite observations. Comparisons with 21 CMIP6 Earth system models further reveal that 15 models systematically overestimate regional AGB stocks. This bias suggests that current models inadequately represent thaw-related hydrological constraints on vegetation growth, leading to an overestimation of forest carbon sink strength. Together, our results demonstrate that permafrost degradation constitutes a critical constraint on boreal forest carbon accumulation and underscore the need to incorporate permafrost-mediated soil hydrological processes into Earth system models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109912"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171038","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":"Microstructures in oxidic Oxisol under intensive cultivation","authors":"Marcel Thomas Pereira Job ,&nbsp;Fábio Soares de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Jakeline Rosa de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Raphael Bragança Alves Fernandes ,&nbsp;Maurício Paulo Ferreira Fontes ,&nbsp;Teogenes Senna de Oliveira","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensive conventional cultivation leads to the deterioration of the original soil structural hierarchy. This study investigated the long-term impacts of irrigation and intensive management on the microstructural stability of an Oxisol (Typic Haplustox) across a 43-year chronosequence, in the 0–0.2 and 0.8–1.0 m layers. By integrating micromorphology, synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography (SR-μCT), and micro-chemical analysis (SEM-EDX), we show that cultivation promotes a systematic transition from stable coalesced blocks to individualized, degraded microaggregates. In the native vegetation (reference area), kaolinite acts as a primary agglutinating agent, maintaining a complex structural hierarchy of granular microaggregates. However, long-term liming and fertilization induce kaolinite dispersion, accelerating the breakdown of these blocks and the selective preservation of Al-Fe-rich aggregates. After 43 years of cultivation, the remaining microaggregates exhibit smaller sizes (0.7 mm) and higher roundness (≈ 1). Aggregate porosity increased due to the formation of new voids (32%), which are larger (7.75 μm), elongated (0.27), less connected (Euler number – 10993) and spherical (0.85) and lower tortuosity (1.79) in older cultivations. These findings demonstrate that intensive land use alters the microstructure starting from the first year of cultivation, promoting the selection of aggregates and the microstructural homogenization in the topsoil (0–0.2 m).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109907"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171104","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":"Climatic seasonality as a driver of soil carbon stability and soil quality in tropical semiarid regions","authors":"Paulo Roberto Dias Marques Júnior ,&nbsp;Felipe José Cury Fracetto ,&nbsp;Luiz Fernando Carvalho Leite ,&nbsp;Maria Betânia Galvão dos Santos Freire ,&nbsp;Ademir de Oliveira Ferreira","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109901","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109901","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil management practices and seasonal climatic oscillations act as primary drivers of soil quality in tropical ecosystems. This study assessed the effects of seasonal variability on soil properties and integrated soil quality indices across different land-use systems and native Caatinga vegetation. Six bimonthly soil samplings were conducted under: i) two native dry forests (NF₁ and NF₂); ii) tillage with fire (TWF); iii) tillage without fire (TIL); iv) high-stocked pasture (PHS); and v) low-stocked pasture (PLS). Soil quality indices (SQI) integrate physical, chemical, and biological properties to represent key ecosystem functions, including microbial activity, resistance to degradation, and climate regulation. Higher levels of total organic carbon (TOC) and protected organic carbon (Prot-C), exchangeable Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, soil flocculation degree, and enzyme activities were observed during the dry season. Native forests exhibited the highest SQI, followed by TIL and PLS. TOC (∼45 Mg ha⁻¹) and Prot-C (∼43 Mg ha⁻¹) stocks promoted greater carbon stabilization in the dry season, with a half-life of 196 days. SQI components increased by 83%, 29%, 303%, and 92% for general SQI, microbial activity, resistance to degradation, and climate regulation, respectively. Dry-season soil quality enhancement was driven by organic carbon, increased microbial biomass, and clay-mediated protection mechanisms, even under fire and intensive grazing. These results indicate that soil management in semiarid regions must prioritize the maintenance of organic carbon pools and soil structural stability, particularly by reducing physical-chemical disturbance during the rainy season, when the risk of carbon losses and soil degradation is highest.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109901"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170573","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":"Sedimentary organic carbon in the Three Gorges Reservoir riparian zone: from flooding perturbation and size-fractionation to sources, composition and thermal stability","authors":"Xin Gao ,&nbsp;Yaxian Hu ,&nbsp;Fangbin Hou ,&nbsp;Juping Huang ,&nbsp;Jilong Chen ,&nbsp;Xu Zhou ,&nbsp;Shengjun Wu ,&nbsp;Quanchao Zeng ,&nbsp;Ping Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109842","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109842","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sedimentary organic carbon (SeOC) plays a critical role in carbon (C) sequestration in riparian zones, yet its accumulation and stability are influenced by complex hydrodynamic processes such as flooding and erosional sorting. However, it remains poorly understood as to how varying flooding intensities (the relative duration of submergence caused by water level fluctuations) across different elevations and in turn the size sorting processes perturb the sources, composition and stability of SeOC. Sediments were collected across the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir from three flooding intensities: strong, intermediate, and weak corresponded to the elevation intervals of 145–155 m, 155–165 m, and 165–175 m. The sediments were subsequently fractionated into four size classes according to their settling velocities to determine size-specific SeOC content, chemical compositions, thermal stability and δ¹³C signature. The results indicated that, the proportion of the 63–250 μm fractions at weak and intermediate flooding intensity was 39.8%–51.1% and 5.9%–15.9% lower, respectively, than that with strong flooding intensity. The δ¹³C signatures and the contribution of soil-derived C decreased but the SeOC thermal stability and the contribution of C₃ plant and phytoplankton increased with stronger flooding intensity. In addition, the TG-T₅₀ values (the temperature resulting in 50% of organic matter loss) were positively related to the C<img>C/C<img>O ratios, but negatively associated with the C<img>H/C<img>O ratios. The accumulation of fine sediment particles with greater SeOC stability at stronger flooding intensity highlights the decisive role of flooding regimes in determining the sources, chemical composition and thermal variations of SeOC across different elevations. Thus, accurate quantification of SeOC dynamics in riparian zones necessitates consideration of both flooding perturbations and erosional size fractionation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109842"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146026062","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":"A new calculation method for dynamic adjustment of bed material gradation in a sand-bed river","authors":"Yuqin Cao ,&nbsp;Junqiang Xia ,&nbsp;Yifei Cheng ,&nbsp;Jianguo Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109860","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109860","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the variation in bed material gradation provides a crucial perspective for assessing the functionality of river systems, including bed resistance, flood conveyance capacity and non-uniform sediment transport pattern, yet few studies have been conducted to simulate the adjustment processes of bed material gradation in a sand-bed reach. A new calculation method was developed that integrated active layer thickness with riverbed evolution and bedform geometry, which advanced the framework of active layer method for modelling bed material gradation adjustment in sandy riverbeds. The proposed method was incorporated into a section-scale morphodynamic framework, providing more detailed simulations of the dynamic adjustment processes of bed material gradation and riverbed evolution. The performance of this framework was evaluated through two laboratory experiments and field datasets at seven hydrometric cross-sections in the Lower Yellow River. Results demonstrated good agreement between the predicted and observed bed material gradations, with the mean absolute error less than 7.3%, and also captured the dynamic adjustment tendency of riverbed. Comparative analysis of typical methods for calculating the active layer thickness revealed that methods integrating hydraulic conditions and bed material properties, particularly the method proposed in this study, performed better in simulating both ultimate gradations and adjustment processes in sandy riverbeds. This framework provides a valuable tool for advancing the flow-sediment transport modelling and predicting the long-term geomorphic evolution trends in sand-bed river systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109860"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146026064","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":"Spatial heterogeneity of soil functions in the gully vicinity within a watershed: coupling effects of landscape characteristics and ridge practices","authors":"Jianhui Zeng,&nbsp;Linfang Tan,&nbsp;Zhonglu Guo,&nbsp;Junguang Wang,&nbsp;Yujie Wei,&nbsp;Chongfa Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109866","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109866","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil functions exhibit spatial heterogeneity due to variations in soil properties, and play a crucial role in biogeochemical processes and ecosystem services. However, the coupling effects of landscape characteristics and field management have not been systematically explored at the watershed scale. To address this gap, we conducted composite sampling across three watershed positions (upper, middle, lower watershed), two orientations (parallel and perpendicular to ridging orientation), and five gradients of distance to gullies spanning from the upper to the lower slope in an agricultural watershed of the black soil region, Northeast China. Five critical soil functions, including soil productivity (<em>SP</em>), nutrient cycling and provision (<em>NCP</em>), water purification and regulation (<em>WPR</em>), provision of habitat for biodiversity (<em>PHB</em>), and climate regulation and carbon sequestration (<em>CSCR</em>), were evaluated based on 17 measured soil properties. The results showed that <em>WPR</em> and <em>SP</em> in the vicinity of gullies displayed significant clustering characteristics (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01); <em>NCP</em> exhibited local clustering; whereas <em>CSCR</em> and <em>PHB</em> reflected stochastic distributions. Soil total porosity (34.6%), organic matter content (33.1%), and urease activity (11.7%) were determined as the key drivers explaining the spatial variation of soil functions. The mixed-effects model revealed that distance from gullies acted as the dominant factor shaping the spatial patterns of soil functions (<em>β</em> = 0.11), with interactions among spatial configurations explaining 67.25% of their variation. Ridge-parallel orientation weakened the regulatory effect of distance from gullies on soil functions in the upper and middle watersheds. Moreover, the structural equation model indicated that watershed position and distance from gullies regulated soil functions by modifying soil physical properties and biological properties, respectively. This study highlights the significant role of eroded gullies and ridging practices in altering soil functions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109866"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171043","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":"Moss-biofilm cover modulates hydrodynamic erosion on varied rock-surface morphologies under sheet flow","authors":"Zhuo Zeng,&nbsp;Dongdong Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109893","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109893","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In rocky desertification areas, moss pioneers on karst slopes where rock-surface flow dominates; how it interacts with micro-topography (inclined plane, concave, convex) to jointly regulate runoff, hydraulics, and erosion remains unclear. Using rainfall simulation experiments, this study systematically examines how rock surface morphologies and moss cover influence runoff coefficients, sediment yield, and hydrodynamic parameters, to elucidate the erosion mechanisms driven by rock surface runoff. The results show that sloping rock surfaces generate the most runoff, with runoff coefficients 16.5% and 5.3% higher than those of concave and convex faces, respectively. Convex faces suffer the most significant erosion, losing 33.95% and 50.25% more sediment than concave and sloping faces. Moss significantly reduces the initial runoff coefficient for all morphologies and narrows the flow velocity differences by 89.7%. It also removes the concave face’s low-erosion advantage, making the convex-vertical orientation the most eroded (an increase of 28.8–53.8%), and thus becomes the primary driver of slope erosion. A direct link exists between rock surface and soil-surface hydrodynamics; runoff generated on different rock morphologies indirectly affects bedrock slope erosion by altering the distribution of slope flow, resulting in either concentrated wash or dispersion. Results demonstrate how the moss-biofilm cover on different rock morphologies affects karst hydrology and erosion, providing key insights for targeted conservation and sustainable land management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109893"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170586","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":"Hydro-environmental shifts in Laolike peatland of Northeast China: Evidence from grain size distributions and end-member modeling analysis","authors":"Jing Li ,&nbsp;Yanmin Dong ,&nbsp;Hongkai Li ,&nbsp;Zhiwei Xu ,&nbsp;Shengzhong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109845","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109845","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Peat serves as a critical geological archive in terrestrial ecosystems because of its ability to preserve high-resolution climatic and environmental records throughout its development. The hydrological conditions of peatlands are highly sensitive to climate variability and are commonly employed as key indicators for paleoclimate reconstruction. However, hydrological conditions within peatlands can exhibit notable spatial heterogeneity, influenced by local environmental factors such as paleotopography and autogenic self-organizing processes, which have not been sufficiently addressed. In this study, two peat cores (LLK17C and LLK-D-2019) from the Laolike peatland in the Changbai Mountains were analyzed using grain size distributions (GSDs) and end-member modeling analysis. Supported by a robust chronological framework and paleotopographic reconstruction, GSDs were examined under contrasting paleotopographic settings to evaluate hydrological dynamics and their driving mechanisms. The results demonstrated that hydrological evolution within the peatland exhibited evident spatial heterogeneity. The LLK17C core contained fine-grained sediments in which aeolian and aquatic components could not be effectively separated, whereas the LLK-D-2019 core yielded four distinct end members. On a millennial scale, climate acted as the primary control on hydrological evolution in the Laolike peatland between 11 and 4.2 kyr BP. After 4.2 kyr BP, the LLK-D-2019 core, located at the lowest topographic position, transitioned into a stable peat accumulation phase as water levels declined, as evidenced by abrupt shifts in GSDs, total organic carbon, and C/N ratios. In addition, local paleotopography and autogenic self-organization further modulated the internal hydrological conditions and their evolutionary trajectories. These findings highlight the importance of spatial heterogeneity in peatland hydrological evolution and indicate that paleohydrological reconstructions based on a single core may suffer from limited representativeness. This study contributes to improving our understanding of internal hydrological variability within peatlands and their long-term developmental dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109845"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146026063","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}