Comprehensive evaluation of soil characteristics and carbon stocks variability in different urban land use types

Abstract

The terrestrial environment generally serves as an important carbon pool. This study mainly assessed the properties and carbon storage capabilities of soils from different urban land uses. Soil samples from roads/highways, parks, institutional areas, and constructed wetlands were collected to assess the effects of soil sealing on the characteristics and carbon content of urban soils. Soil sealing and compaction greatly influenced urban soil properties by altering the mass-balance, thereby resulting in a disproportionate amount of inflow and outflow of compounds in the soil strata. Using the Walkley-Black and loss-on-ignition (LOI) methods of soil organic carbon (SOC) analysis demonstrated that LOI-based analysis yielded up to 26 times higher SOC values than the wet-oxidation method due to the high weight losses prompted by the volatilization of hygroscopic and structural water and thermal decomposition of carbonate-containing minerals. Further analyses indicated that open soils contain 5% to 78% higher percentage of organic carbon as compared with their sealed counterparts and top soil layers tend to have higher amounts of SOC due to the continuous deposition of carbon-containing compounds from external sources. Generally, the results of this inquiry can serve as a baseline for formulating strategies to augment pedologic carbon stocks in urban environments.