Abstract
The hydraulic properties of paleosols on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) are closely related to agricultural production and are indicative of the environmental evolution during geological and pedogenic periods. In this study, two typical intact sequences of the first paleosol layer (S1) on the southern CLP were selected, and soil hydraulic parameters together with basic physical and chemical properties were investigated to reveal the response of soil hydraulic properties to the warm and wet climate conditions. The results show that: (1) the paleoclimate in the southern CLP during the last interglacial period showed a pattern of three warm and wet sub-stages and two cool and dry sub-stages; (2) when the climate was warm and wet, the soil saturated hydraulic conductivity decreased and the content of macro-aggregates increased, and when the climate was cool and dry, the soil saturated hydraulic conductivity increased and the content of macro-aggregates decreased, indicating that the paleoclimate affected both the grain size of wind-blown sediment and pedogenic process; and (3) in the soil water characteristic curves, the soil water content showed variation in peaks and valleys, indicating that the dust source and pedogenesis of the paleosol affected the water holding capacity. The findings confirmed that on the southern CLP, the warm and wet climate improved soil aggregate stability and water holding capacity, while reducing soil water conductivity. These results reveal the response of soil hydraulic properties to the climate evolution on the southern CLP, which indicate soil water retention and soil moisture supply capacities under an ongoing global warming scenario.
Highlights
The Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) has historically experienced water shortages necessitating soil-water conservation
Compared with Kang et al [28] who studied the Weinan profile (Figure 2, their optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) data are indicated in red), the age model we applied was credible
The Particle size distribution (PSD) of S1 in the two profiles, Weinan S1 records, and LR04 stack displayed synchronous patterns of fluctuation (Figure 3), which revealed that the paleoclimate of the last interglacial in the southern CLP experienced three warm, wet sub-stages and two cool, dry sub-stages
Summary
The Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) has historically experienced water shortages necessitating soil-water conservation. Understanding soil hydraulic properties is critical for cropland water management and soil erosion prevention. A wide variety of soil types is present in the CLP; besides dark loessial soil and cultivated loessial soil [1], the hydraulic properties of the widespread paleosol must be understood. The CLP includes dozens of paleosol and loess layers. The main sources of loess and paleosol are the northwestern inland basins [2]. The aeolian sedimentary process was accompanied by a pedogenic process. The pedogenic process was controlled by climatic evolution [3], and the Quaternary
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