Spatial variability of soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content and storage in an alpine wetland in the Qinghai - Tibet Plateau, China

Abstract

Abstract. This study considers the spatial variability of soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus storage in a drained alpine wetland and the possible relationships with soil properties. Top 0-0.30 m soil samples were collected in a typical alpine wetland in the south-eastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau using grid sampling. There was high spatial variability for soil organic carbon density (SOCD), soil total nitrogen density (STND), and soil total phosphorous density (STPD) in the drained alpine wetland. Spherical models best described the structure of the semivariograms for SOCD and STPD, and an exponential model for STND, with the range parameter of <4 m. Similar spatial distribution with lower or higher patches of C, N, and P storage were observed. SOCD, STND, and STPD were significantly negatively correlated with soil moisture (P < 0.01), and significantly positively correlated with bulk density (P < 0.01). However, no significant correlations were observed between SOCD, STND, and STPD and soil pH values. Wetland drainage might lead to higher C, N, and P densities in top 0.30 m soils due to peat compaction; thus, it is necessary to incorporate water table fluctuations or the whole depth of peat layers to estimating precisely C, N and P storage.

Soil cellulase activity and fungal community responses to wetland degradation in the Zoige Plateau, China

“…Due to these changes, the processes normally leading to the formation of peat and marsh soil, were eliminated and replaced by humification and oxidoreduction, which lead to the formation of meadow soil. This is consistent with the work of Bai et al (2010) suggesting that pH might be a dominant controlling factor reducing OC and TP concentrations in peat soil. OC, TN, TP, AN, and AP decreased as wetland degradation increased in this study and this, coupled with the sensitivity of these parameters, might allow them to be useful components of an evaluation system for scoring wetland degradation.…”

Methane emissions from an alpine wetland on the Tibetan Plateau: Neglected but vital contribution of the nongrowing season

“…Accurate studies that investigate the magnitude, patterns, and environmental controls of the CH 4 fluxes from Tibetan Plateau wetlands on different timescales, especially during the nongrowing season, are urgently needed. In addition, alpine wetlands of the Tibetan Plateau and high-latitude wetlands share many similar features, such as a long nongrowing season, large soil carbon storage, and high carbon density [Wille et al, 2008;Zona et al, 2009;Bai et al, 2010;Sachs et al, 2010]. Thus, a CH 4 emission study from the Tibetan Plateau wetland can provide a valuable reference to understand the dynamics and budget of CH 4 emissions from the high-latitude regions.…”

Evaluation of the Impacts of Land Use on Water Quality: A Case Study in The Chaohu Lake Basin

“…The water quality of rivers may degrade due to the changes in the land cover patterns within the watershed as human activities increase [1, 2]. Changes in the land cover and land management practices have been regarded as the key influencing factors behind the alteration of the hydrological system, which lead to the change in runoff as well as the water quality [3, 4]. …”