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Effects of Land Use Conversion from Upland Field to Paddy Field on Soil Temperature Dynamics and Heat Transfer Processes

Jun Yi, Mengyi Xu, Qian Ren, Hailin Zhang (), Muxing Liu, Yuanhang Fei, Shenglong Li, Hanjiang Nie, Qi Li, Xin Ni and Yongsheng Wang ()
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Jun Yi: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Mengyi Xu: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Qian Ren: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Hailin Zhang: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Muxing Liu: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Yuanhang Fei: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Shenglong Li: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Hanjiang Nie: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Qi Li: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Xin Ni: Hubei Province Key Laboratory for Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Yongsheng Wang: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-22

Abstract: Investigating soil temperature and the heat transfer process is essential for understanding water–heat changes and energy balance in farmland. The conversion from upland fields (UFs) to paddy fields (PFs) alters the land cover, irrigation regimes, and soil properties, leading to differences in soil temperature, thermal properties, and heat fluxes. Our study aimed to quantify the effects of converting UFs to PFs on soil temperature and heat transfer processes, and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms. A long-term cultivated UF and a newly developed PF (converted from a UF in May 2015) were selected for this study. Soil water content ( SWC ) and temperature were monitored hourly over two years (June 2017 to June 2019) in five soil horizons (i.e., 10, 20, 40, 60, and 90 cm) at both fields. The mean soil temperature differences between the UF and PF at each depth on the annual scale varied from −0.1 to 0.4 °C, while they fluctuated more significantly on the seasonal (−0.9~1.8 °C), monthly (−1.5~2.5 °C), daily (−5.6~4.9 °C), and hourly (−7.3~11.3 °C) scales. The SWC in the PF was significantly higher than that in the UF, primarily due to differences in tillage practices, which resulted in a narrower range of soil temperature variation in the PF. Additionally, the SWC and soil physicochemical properties significantly altered the soil’s thermal properties. Compared with the UF, the volumetric heat capacity ( C s ) at the depths of 10, 20, 40, 60, and 90 cm in the PF changed by 8.6%, 19.0%, 5.5%, −4.3%, and −2.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity ( λ θ ) increased by 1.5%, 18.3%, 19.0%, 9.0%, and 25.6%, respectively. Moreover, after conversion from the UF to the PF, the heat transfer direction changed from downward to upward in the 10–20 cm soil layer, resulting in a 42.9% reduction in the annual average soil heat flux ( G ). Furthermore, the differences in G between the UF and PF were most significant in the summer (101.9%) and most minor in the winter (12.2%), respectively. The conversion of the UF to the PF increased the C s and λ θ , ultimately reducing the range of soil temperature variation and changing the direction of heat transfer, which led to more heat release from the soil. This study reveals the effects of farmland use type conversion on regional land surface energy balance, providing theoretical underpinnings for optimizing agricultural ecosystem management.

Keywords: soil temperature; soil thermal properties; soil heat flux; soil water content; upland field; new paddy field (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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