Patterns of salt transport and factors affecting typical shrub in desert-oases transition areas

Jing Wang; Lianqing Xue; Hailong Liu; Biao Cao; Yungang Bai; Chenguang Xiang; Xinghan Li

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.116804

Patterns of salt transport and factors affecting typical shrub in desert-oases transition areas

Environ Res. 2023 Nov 1;236(Pt 2):116804. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116804. Epub 2023 Aug 1.

Authors

Jing Wang¹, Lianqing Xue², Hailong Liu³, Biao Cao⁴, Yungang Bai⁴, Chenguang Xiang¹, Xinghan Li⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, PR China.
² College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, PR China; Wanjiang University of Technology, Anhui, 243031, China. Electronic address: lqxue@hhu.edu.cn.
³ School of Resources and Environment, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, 611731, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: liuhl@uestc.edu.cn.
⁴ Xinjiang Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Urumqi, 830009, PR China.
⁵ Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hainan Key Laboratory of Functional Components and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Science, Haikou, 571101, PR China.

PMID: 37536557
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116804

Abstract

Soil salinization and water deficits are considered the primary factors limiting economic development and environmental improvement in arid areas. However, there remains limited knowledge of the adaptability of typical shrubs to salinization of desert areas in arid zones. This study was conducted in a desert oasis transition zone (Tarim River, China), aiming to investigate: i) the spatial-temporal changes in soil salinity; ii) the interactions between the pedoenvironment vs typical shrub (Calligonum mongolicum). The van Genuchten soil salinity retention ensemble model (TVGSSREM-3D) was developed to simulate variations in soil water-salt transport in the desert-oasis zone and to accurately explain the main factors influencing Calligonum mongolicum desert-oases transition areas. The results showed that monthly average salinity ranged from 2.0 to 8.0 g kg^-1, with a peak in August (9.17 g kg^-1). The presence of human activities (Salt Drainage Canal) and the distribution of Calligonum mongolicum resulted in a clear spatial salinity zonation. Moreover, analysis of environmental indicators using the TVGSSREM-3D model revealed strong correlations between the distribution of salinity in Calligonum mongolicum desert-oases transition areas and groundwater depth (GD), minimum relative humidity (MRH), and water vapor pressure (WVP). These findings provide a scientific basis for stabilizing, restoring, and reconstructing the ecosystem of the oasis-desert transition zone.

Keywords: Desert-oases transition areas; Environmental indicators; Soil salinity transport; Tarim river basin; The van genuchten soil salinity retention ensemble model (TVGSSREM-3D).