Abstract
Wind erosion effecting on soil carbon losses, should be considered from the standpoints of sustaining farmland productivity and producing accurate national carbon accounts.The worldwide spread of arid and semiarid areas with extensive damage to these areas gives them potential for carbon sequestration. Considering that a large portion of soil carbon is concentrated in 0 to 20 cm soil depth, carbon sequestration increases soil fertility,prevents erosion and improves the hydrological system. This paper introduces a case study in Dejgah catchment, Farashband County, Shiraz Province, Iran, which used to be a typical area with wind erosion and desertification in south western Iran. A field experiment was conducted in this region to investigate changes in soil carbon in relation to wind erosion. Samples were taken randomly from areas of up to 0.25 ha from each of the different wind erosion categories in June 2011. In each site 20 samples from surface layer (0 to 10 cm) and 20 samples from subsurface layer (10 to 20 cm) were collected, then samples from each layer were combined. Finally, two composite sample from each site and 24 composite soil samples were collected from surface layer (0 to 10 cm) and subsurface layer (10 to 20 cm) in 4 different wind erosion categories (light, moderate, high and severe). In the laboratory, each soil sample was thoroughly sieved to 2 mm to remove roots and incorporated litter and air-dried to determine soil physicochemical properties including pH, electrical conductivity, soil texture, bulk density, total nitrogen, and organic carbon content. Analysis results showed some soil properties largely influenced by the severity of wind erosion. In addition the results showed the impact of wind erosion on loss of carbon and nitrogen so that the organic C and N contents decreased significantly with wind erosion development. In addition changes in organic C content had a significant positive correlation with the soil fine particle content (clay) (Pb 0.01) and a significant negative correlation with sand content (Pb 0.01). Key words: Wind erosion, loss of soil organic carbon, carbon sequestration, global change.
Highlights
Wind is a natural force that detaches and transports soil particles
The proportion of organic C and total N decreased significantly (Pb 0.01) with wind erosion development, while soil organic carbon was concentrated in the surface layer (0 to 20 cm depth) (Roose et al, 2006; Shaoshan, et al, 2010; Guang-Lu and Xiao-Ming, 2010)
Results of Singh et al (2003) in India showed that the amount of soil organic matter and the amount of carbon sequestration per unit area of soil depends on several factors such as soil bulk density
Summary
Wind erosion is a natural hazard in the dry climatic regions of the world where vegetative cover tends to be sparse due to a lack of rainfall and recurring drought (Singh, 1994). The consideration of wind erosion induced carbon loss, both from the standpoint of sustaining farmland productivity and in producing accurate national carbon accounts, at both the project and national scales, requires resolution. The beneficial impacts of SOC on soil quality are attributed to: (1) stabilization of soil structure through formation of organo-mineral complexes and development of stable aggregates; (2) improvement in available water-holding capacity of the soil through an increase in soil moisture retention at field capacity (0.3 bar suction); (3) improvement in soil biodiversity, especially activity of soil fauna (e.g., earthworms); (4) biodegradation of contaminants; (5) buffering soil against sudden changes in pH and elemental concentrations; (6) minimizing leaching losses of fertilizer through chelation and absorption; (7) filtering and purification of water by sorption and degradation of pollutants; (8) strengthening mechanisms of elemental cycling; (9) improving soil quality and productivity; and (10) sequestering C and mitigating climate change (Roose et al, 2006)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
