Influence of Slope Gradient and Aspect on Soil Organic Carbon Content in the Region of Niš, Serbia

Abstract

Topography-induced microclimate differences determine the local spatial variation of soil characteristics as topographic factors may play the most essential role in changing the climatic pattern. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) with respect to the slope gradient and aspect, and to quantify their influence on SOC within different land use/cover classes. The study area is the Region of Niš in Serbia, which is characterized by complex topography with large variability in the spatial distribution of SOC. Soil samples at 0–30 cm and 30–60 cm were collected from different slope gradients and aspects in each of the three land use/cover classes. The results showed that the slope aspect significantly influenced the spatial distribution of SOC in the forest and vineyard soils, where N- and NW-facing soils had the highest level of organic carbon in the topsoil. There were no similar patterns in the uncultivated land. No significant differences were found in the subsoil. Organic carbon content was higher in the topsoil, regardless of the slope of the terrain. The mean SOC content in forest land decreased with increasing slope, but the difference was not statistically significant. In vineyards and uncultivated land, the SOC content was not predominantly determined by the slope gradient. No significant variations across slope gradients were found for all observed soil properties, except for available phosphorus and potassium. A positive correlation was observed between SOC and total nitrogen, clay, silt, and available phosphorus and potassium, while a negative correlation with coarse sand was detected. The slope aspect in relation to different land use/cover classes could provide an important reference for land management strategies in light of sustainable development.

Application GIS and remote sensing for soil organic carbon mapping in a farm-scale in the hilly area of central Vietnam

“…This difference may be due to the depth of sampling, studies that sampled close to the surface have a higher correlation between NDVI and SOC. The influence of slope on SOC content is not significant, so our results are similar to the recent study mentioned (Jakšić et al, 2021). This may be due to the influence of farming practices.…”

Assessing Soil Organic Carbon Stock Dynamics under Future Climate Change Scenarios in the Middle Qilian Mountains

“…In addition, Ding et al [51] found that soils of alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau (>4000 m) were also characterized by significant carbon accumulation from the 2000s to the 2010s. It was widely acknowledged that the increase in temperature could stimulate the activity of soil microorganisms, thus accelerating the loss rate of carbon from the soil into the atmosphere [20,52,53]. However, for high-elevation zones, the increase in temperature could also enhance the accumulated temperature, which prolongs the growing season and further stimulates the vegetation productivity.…”

The formation of small macro‐aggregates induces soil organic carbon stocks in the restoration process used on cut slopes in alpine regions of China

“…Currently, galvanized wire mesh and three‐dimensional (plastic) mesh are the most commonly used soil consolidation meshes, and their differences are bound to directly or indirectly affect biotic or/and abiotic factors, and then change soil properties of a cut slope. However, the current studies on cut slopes were based on galvanized wire mesh as the consolidation mesh (Huang et al, 2017; Li, Kan, et al, 2018; Li, Zhang, et al, 2018; Zhu et al, 2020; Jakšić et al, 2021; Jiang et al, 2021) and ignored the difference between three‐dimensional mesh and galvanized wire mesh. Additionally, there have been few comparative studies on the effect of treating a cut slope with three‐dimensional mesh and galvanized wire mesh on SOC stock changes.…”