Topography Dominates the Spatial and Temporal Variability of Soil Bulk Density in Typical Arid Zones

Jia Guo, Yanmin Fan (), Yunhao Li, Yanan Bi, Shuaishuai Wang, Yutong Hu, Li Zhang and Wenyue Song
Additional contact information
Jia Guo: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China
Yanmin Fan: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China
Yunhao Li: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China
Yanan Bi: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China
Shuaishuai Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China
Yutong Hu: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China
Li Zhang: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China
Wenyue Song: College of Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Agriculture University, Urumqi 830052, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-22

Abstract: Soil bulk density is a crucial indicator for assessing soil matter storage and soil quality. Due to the complexity of sampling soil bulk density, particularly in deeper layers, it is essential to study the spatial distribution patterns of soil bulk density and their influencing factors. To address the gap in large-scale studies of vertical (from surface to deeper layers) and horizontal (across a broad area) variations in soil bulk density in arid regions, this study focuses on Changji Prefecture, located in the central northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains and characterized by typical vertical zonation. By integrating classical statistics, geostatistics, and geographic information systems (GISs), this study investigates the spatial distribution patterns and driving factors of soil bulk density. The results indicate that soil bulk density in Changji Prefecture increases with soil depth, with significantly lower values in the surface layer than in deeper layers. Spatially, despite minimal variation in latitude, there is considerable elevation difference within the study area, with the lowest elevations in the central region. Soil bulk density exhibits a spatial distribution pattern of higher values in the northeast (desert areas) and lower values in the southwest (forest areas). The nugget effect in the surface layer (0–20 cm) is substantial at 44.9%, while the deeper layers (20–100 cm) show nugget effects below 25%, suggesting that the influence of both natural and anthropogenic factors on deep soil bulk density is limited and mainly affects the surface layer. Stepwise regression analysis indicates that among topographic factors, slope and elevation are the primary controls of spatial variability in soil bulk density across layers. This research demonstrates that, in arid regions, soil bulk density is influenced primarily by natural factors, with limited impact from human activities. These findings provide valuable data support and theoretical guidance for soil management, agricultural planning, and sustainable ecosystem development in arid regions.

Keywords: soil bulk density; spatial variability; profile; driving factor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/22/9670/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/22/9670/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:22:p:9670-:d:1515258

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().