Catena最新文献

{"title":"Superimposed effects of multiple rainfall events on soil structure","authors":"Lei Hanzhe ,&nbsp;Fu Yu ,&nbsp;Xu Jinzhong ,&nbsp;Zhang Xiaoya ,&nbsp;Li Yu ,&nbsp;Zhao Yikai ,&nbsp;Zhang Yupeng","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rainfall is the main external force affecting soil surface structure. Many studies have evaluated the impact of a single rainfall event. However, the superimposed effects of multiple rainfall events on soil structure remain unclear. Therefore, surface soil from tillage in the black soil region of Northeast China was selected as the research object, and simulated rainfall and CT tests were combined to characterize the 3D indices of surface soil aggregates and pores under multiple rainfall events, uncovering the dynamic changes in the soil surface structure. The results showed that during rainfall, only a dense layer is formed on the upslope, while an alternating superposition of sedimentary–dense layer multilayers occurs on the downslope. For the upslope, as the rainfall frequency increased, the percentages of 0.25–0.053 mm aggregates in the dense layer with rainfall intensities of 40 mm/h and 70 mm/h exhibited opposite trends, with ranges ranging from 6.29 to 12.16 % and 45.21 to 70.71 %, respectively. For the downslope, when the sedimentary layer is at the top, the percentage of 0.25–0.053 mm aggregates decreases with increasing rainfall frequency, but the percentage of 0.25–0.053 mm aggregates increases when there is a dense layer on top of the sedimentary layer. In summary, the uppermost sedimentary layer at the downslope mainly shows fragmentation, while the lower sedimentary layer shows aggregation. The pore structure of the sedimentary layer downslope is influenced mainly by the fragmentation of its own large aggregates, whereas the pore structure of the dense layer is influenced mainly by the vertical downwards transport of the small aggregates of the upper layer of the sedimentary layer. The results of this study are beneficial for revealing the erosion of black soil slopes and the evolution of soil structure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109409"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020543","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 variations of extreme climate and their effects on vegetation growth in the northern permafrost regions during 1982–2022","authors":"Yunxia Dong ,&nbsp;Guimin Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaodong Wu ,&nbsp;Lin Wang ,&nbsp;Sizhong Yang ,&nbsp;Tonghua Wu ,&nbsp;Haiyan Xu ,&nbsp;Evgeny Abakumov ,&nbsp;Jun Zhao ,&nbsp;Xingyuan Cui ,&nbsp;Meiqi Shao","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The permafrost regions of the northern hemisphere are increasingly experiencing frequent and intense extreme climate, which may significantly impact the vegetation growth. However, the effects of extremes on vegetation are often overlooked, leading to an underestimation of their impacts on vegetation. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of the spatiotemporal variations of extreme climate in the northern permafrost regions from 1982 to 2022, as well as the responses of vegetation growth to these changes in growing-seasons. The results show that: (1) the occurrence of warm days and nights increased, with nighttime temperature rises exceeding those during the day. The changing trend of extreme warm indices was less pronounced than that of extreme cold indices; (2) The frequency and duration of extreme precipitation had significantly increased, with slight changes in precipitation intensity; (3) The extreme temperature events largely showed no cumulative and lagged effects on vegetation growth, and the areas with one-month lag and two-month cumulative effects of extreme precipitation ranged from 19.1 % to 42.9 %; (4) The relationship between vegetation growth and extreme climate events varied by vegetation type. Grasslands, forests, and shrubs were mainly affected by the one-month lag and two-month cumulative effect of extreme precipitation, whereas wetlands exhibited a predominant one-month lag effect. Overall, our results suggested that the effects of extreme climate on vegetation growth in northern permafrost regions were mainly manifested by the cumulative and lagged effects of precipitation from 1982 to 2022, and more attentions should be paid to extreme precipitation in modelling vegetation growth under a changing climate in the permafrost regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109420"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010735","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":"Recalcitrant organic carbon in deep soils plays a greater role in soil carbon sequestration under tidal flat than vegetated salt marsh","authors":"Bingbing Yu ,&nbsp;Ziqi Zhu ,&nbsp;Shaopan Xia ,&nbsp;Lukas Van Zwieten ,&nbsp;Yufei Zhong ,&nbsp;Aoxue Cai ,&nbsp;Zhaoliang Song ,&nbsp;Wei Yang ,&nbsp;Yuchuan Fan ,&nbsp;Rongjun Bian ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Liu ,&nbsp;Jufeng Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109412","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109412","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sea-level rise significantly impacts soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in estuarine wetlands by altering hydrological, biological, and biogeochemical processes. However, the mechanisms regulating SOC accumulation and stability remain incompletely understood. In this study, we employed a space-for-time substitution by selecting four distinct regions within the intertidal zone comprising vegetated and non-vegetated habitats. Our results showed that soil salinity primarily drove vegetation composition. SOC content in 0–20 cm layer decreased from land to sea (increasing salinity), while SOC content below 40 cm in the tidal flat exceeded that in vegetated habitats. SOC was dominated by recalcitrant organic carbon (ROC) in the tidal flat, with lower carbon activity, carbon activity index, and geometric mean of active organic carbon, suggesting higher stability. Vegetated habitats had greater carbon pool index and carbon pool management index in 0–40 cm, but tidal flat showed higher values below 40 cm. Multivariate analyses revealed total nitrogen as the top driver of SOC accumulation, with soil water content critical below 60 cm. Salinity indirectly modulated SOC burial via vegetation composition/productivity. We conclude that vegetation governs surface SOC accumulation in vegetated habitats, whereas tidal flats exhibit greater blue carbon storage potential, driven by “water-salinity-mineral” stabilization. Therefore, protecting tidal flats is crucial for blue carbon sequestration, and future management strategies should implement soil layer-specific and vegetation zone-specific approaches to minimize anthropogenic disturbances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"259 ","pages":"Article 109412"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010091","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":"Factors influencing soil carbon stocks in secondary subtropical forests of eastern China","authors":"Hong Lin ,&nbsp;Zaihua He ,&nbsp;Kai Tian ,&nbsp;Xiangshi Kong ,&nbsp;Zhaohui Li ,&nbsp;Feng Zhou ,&nbsp;Xingjun Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109419","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109419","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in forest ecosystems are a critical component of the global carbon cycle. Although multiple drivers affect SOC stocks, few studies have simultaneously tested the relative contributions of forest type, tree species richness and soil properties to SOC stocks in subtropical forests. We addressed this gap by investigating how these factors regulate SOC stocks across 25 sites spanning five forest types (bamboo, coniferous, deciduous broadleaf, evergreen broadleaf, and mixed forests) in subtropical forests. At each site, we measured SOC stocks in the topsoil and subsoil, along with assessments of soil properties, above- and belowground biomass, litter quantity and quality. The results revealed that evergreen broadleaf forests exhibited the highest SOC stocks among all forest types. Tree species richness correlated positively with topsoil carbon stocks, especially in deciduous stands, but showed a negative correlation in evergreen broadleaf forests. Greater belowground biomass also enhanced SOC in the topsoil, whereas high phosphorus in litter and soil could lead to carbon loss. These relationships were stronger in the topsoil. Bayesian structural equation modeling revealed that soil properties and phosphorus content in litter were key mediators of SOC stocks. Forest type exerted a direct positive effect on SOC stocks, while tree species richness promoted SOC stocks indirectly by altering litter quality and soil properties. These findings suggest that the impact of tree species richness on SOC is dependent on forest type and soil conditions. Therefore, forest management strategies aiming to promote SOC through biodiversity should consider forest type comprehensively, especially since phosphorus availability emerges as a key regulatory factor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109419"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145007609","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 herbaceous plant roots on tensile strength of root-soil composite in loess hilly region","authors":"Sijing Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianye Ma ,&nbsp;Siming Liu ,&nbsp;Longyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhanbin Li ,&nbsp;Fangtao She ,&nbsp;Jiulong Ding ,&nbsp;Peng Li ,&nbsp;Chengcang Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Among the various failure modes associated with slope instability and soil erosion, tensile failure of the soil mass represents a critical aspect that should not be overlooked. Herbaceous species contribute significantly to mechanical reinforcement through their root systems. However, previous research has predominantly focused on quantifying the effect of roots on soil shear strength, while their influence on the tensile strength of the root-soil composite has been seldom investigated. This study aims to investigate the effects of root parameters from different mixed-species pattern on the tensile strength of root-soil composites in the loess hilly region. Field plots were established with <em>Agropyron cristatum</em> and <em>Artemisia gmelinii</em> in three different mixed planting ratios (1:3, 2:2, and 3:1), alongside a bare-soil control. In-situ field tensile tests were conducted, and soil physicochemical properties and root parameters were measured simultaneously. The results showed that among the tested plots, the 2:2 mixture of <em>Agropyron cristatum</em> and <em>Artemisia gmelinii</em> exhibited the optimal soil-reinforcing performance. Its tensile strength (27.74 kPa) was 2.36, 1.63, and 1.87 times that of the bare land, the 1:3 mixture, and the 3:1 mixture, respectively. Soil properties were the decisive factor affecting the tensile strength of the root-soil composite, with a higher contribution rate (54.67 %) than root parameters (45.33 %). Specifically, soil clay content was the largest single contributing factor (31.60 %). In the mixed taproot and fibrous root system patter, the reinforcement effect of fibrous roots (53.13 %) exceeded that of taproots (46.87 %). Among the root parameters, the root surface area density and root length density of fibrous roots contributed most significantly.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109423"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005188","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":"Unexpected seasonal variability of Hedley-occluded phosphorus in phosphorus-supplied subtropical forest soils","authors":"Huiying Lin ,&nbsp;Xianzhen Luo ,&nbsp;Julian Helfenstein ,&nbsp;Zhaofeng Chang ,&nbsp;Zhimin Li ,&nbsp;Huijun Ye ,&nbsp;Yongbiao Lin ,&nbsp;Guodong Yuan ,&nbsp;Enqing Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The bioavailability of phosphorus (P) in soils is regulated by the dynamics of its various pools. Yet, these temporal dynamics (i.e., transformation rates) remain poorly quantified, introducing substantial uncertainty into models incorporating P cycling. To improve predictive understanding of soil P bioavailability, we conducted a field experiment in a subtropical forest in China, sampling soils from two layers (topsoil: 0 − 10 cm; subsoil: 10 − 20 cm) at − 6 months (pre-treatment) and at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months after a one-time application of inorganic P (Pi) at four rates (0, 25, 50, and 100 kg P ha⁻¹). Soil P pools were quantified using a modified Hedley fractionation procedure. While organic P pools remained stable following P additions, Pi pools in the topsoil increased sequentially according to their theoretical bioavailability: readily available Pi (0.5 months), labile Pi (0.5 months), moderately labile Pi (2 months), primary mineral Pi (2 months) and occluded Pi (4 months). In the subsoil, corresponding increases were observed at 1, 0.5, 4, 2, and 4 months, respectively. Unexpectedly, field-observed variability in occluded Pi greatly exceeded predictions from seven land surface models, suggesting that these models may underestimate its dynamics. Moreover, this unexpected variability in occluded Pi was significantly and positively associated with soil pH and iron and aluminum oxides. Our findings reveal that occluded Pi is more dynamic than traditionally assumed, highlighting the need to refine its definition and representation in models to better interpret empirical data and simulate P bioavailability in terrestrial ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109424"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005176","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":"Quantifying permanent gully erosion: Spatial patterns, volume estimation, and morphological dynamics in the loess hilly and gully region of China","authors":"Boyang Liu ,&nbsp;Shufang Wu ,&nbsp;Hao Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Permanent gully erosion is a significant contribute to land degradation, adversely affecting agricultural productivity and ecological integrity, which in turn poses a threat to regional environmental security and sustainable development. Accurate estimation of permanent gully erosion volumes and delineation of permanent gully morphological characteristics and spatial distribution patterns are crucial for developing targeted mitigation measures. This study integrates low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry and remote sensing imagery to construct a permanent gully volume model (<span><math><mrow><mi>V</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>0.1215</mn><msup><mrow><mi>A</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1.4395</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math></span>) in the loess hilly-gully region of China. The application of the Boosted Regression Trees model for threshold segmentation based on length–width ratios further enhanced the model’s accuracy (R² = 0.9471, NSE = 0.9377). This study extracted the morphological parameters of 2,266 permanent gullies and found that their perimeters, areas, volumes, lengths, and widths ranged from 53.75 to 4,407.27 m, 12.94–5.49 × 10⁴ m², 96.39–1.08 × 10⁶ m³, 16.73–629.37 m, and 3.72–130.24 m, respectively. Significant spatial variability in the distribution of permanent gullies was observed, with the most severe erosion concentrated in the central and northern areas, where gully densities exceeded 3 km km⁻² (accounting for 24.82 % of the study area) and volumes surpassed 5 × 10⁵ m³ (accounting for 37.77 % of the study area). These areas are characterized by significant topographic relief, high rainfall intensity, and low vegetation cover. This research establishes a comprehensive framework for assessing permanent gully erosion volumes in the loess hilly-gully region and offers essential scientific evidence for the development of effective soil conservation and land management strategies in this vulnerable area. The findings are crucial for advancing sustainable development and enhancing ecological security in regions prone to severe gully erosion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109410"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144997569","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":"Ecosystem drought recovery and influencing factors in temperate China and the Qinghai-Tibet alpine region","authors":"Yunfan Sun,&nbsp;Qingyu Guan,&nbsp;Zepeng Zhang,&nbsp;Jun Zhang,&nbsp;Ziyang Cui,&nbsp;Leyao Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing frequency and severity of droughts are expected to pose serious threats to vegetation growth in temperate China and the Qinghai-Tibet alpine region. Although drought recovery time represents a crucial aspect of vegetation recovery, the relationship between recovery time and resilience remains insufficiently understood. This study employed remote sensing vegetation indices and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) to analyze vegetation drought recovery time and resilience in temperate China and the Qinghai-Tibet alpine region. Furthermore, the study applied an extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model integrated with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) framework to identify key determinants of vegetation recovery. The results showed that vegetation in approximately 70 % of the study area recovered to normal conditions within 6 months after drought. Recovery time was longer in arid and humid regions, while it was 0.5–1 month shorter in semi-humid and semi-arid regions. Recovery time was strongly influenced by the climatic conditions during and before the drought recovery period. Drought resilience was markedly lower in arid regions relative to semi-arid, semi-humid, and humid regions. Elevation, drought intensity, and vegetation conditions were identified as key drivers of resilience. Additionally, droughts occurring in the early growing season required a longer recovery time but exhibited generally higher resilience than those occurring in the late growing season. This study also highlights regions that are facing severe drought recovery challenges. These results provide important insights for understanding ecosystem drought recovery and offer scientific support for drought management strategies in temperate China and the Qinghai-Tibet alpine region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109417"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005177","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 event rainfall properties on permanent gully erosion on the Loess Plateau of China","authors":"Suhua Fu,&nbsp;Ruoxin Liao,&nbsp;Guanghui Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Permanent gully (PG) erosion is a critical form of soil degradation on the Loess Plateau of China, yet its response to individual rainfall events remains poorly understood. The purposes of this study were to investigate the influences of event rainfall properties on PG erosion and identify the most dominant factors of rainfall properties driving PG erosion on the Loess Plateau of China. Thirteen PGs were selected, and their elevations were measured by real-time kinematic with Global Navigation Satellite System in May 2023 and 2024 and after each erosive rainfall event. The key parameters reflecting PG evolution, including gully length, perimeter, projected area, erosion rate, deposition rate, were calculated from the established digital elevation model. The results showed that the maximum erosion rate of PG reached 683 t·ha⁻¹ in a single rainfall event, surpassing many reported annual erosion rates. The ratio of erosion from PG sidewall–floor to total erosion ranged from 91.2 % to 100 %, highlighting the dominant role of sidewall–floor erosion in overall gully erosion. PG erosion was significantly influenced by rainfall amount (P) and rainfall energy (E) at event scale. The antecedent rainfall over 3 or 5 days also importantly affected gully erosion. These findings enhance the understanding the influencing mechanisms of rainfall properties on PG erosion and contribute to land management strategies in erosion-prone regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109428"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005267","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 variability of topsoil C and N in relation to soil erosion along a cultivated black soil toposequence","authors":"Yang Yang ,&nbsp;Tingting Peng ,&nbsp;Hui Zhang ,&nbsp;Xin Wei ,&nbsp;Yingna Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109422","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.109422","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil erosion is a crucial process leading to soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) redistributions in the topsoil in agricultural ecosystems, yet it remains ambiguous how the spatial variability of topsoil SOC and TN respond to soil erosion. The objective was to characterize the spatial structures of topsoil SOC, TN and their stochiometric ratio, and to disentangle their spatial relationships with soil erosion in a landscape. On a toposequence spanning ∼ 3,500 m in the black soil region of northeast China, soil erosion rate (ER), and SOC, TN and the C/N ratios at the depths of 0–10 and 10–20 cm were investigated in an interval of 40 m. Unlike the highly variable ER presenting a long-range exponential structure, both the contents and stocks of topsoil SOC and TN were moderately variable and displayed spherical structures with much shorter correlation ranges between 1,000 and 1,400 m. The C/N ratios were even less variable, and exhibited nearly random distributions. Except for the C/N ratio at 0–10 cm depth, all variables were significantly negatively associated with ER at the scale of investigation (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), as erosion tends to remove the fertile topsoil, especially the fine particulate organic matter rich in C, and to promote SOC decomposition via aggregate disintegration. The corresponding correlation coefficients ranged from −0.260 to −0.527. Applying multivariate variational mode decomposition (MVMD), however, insignificant and even significantly positive correlations were detected at different spatial scales between some variables and ER. The wavelet coherency corroborated the scale-dependent relationships of each variable with ER, and specified the sections displaying various correlations. These findings demonstrate the intricate spatial relationships of topsoil C and N with erosion, and hold important implications for sustainable agricultural management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 109422"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005175","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}