Land use affects the response of soil moisture and soil temperature to environmental factors in the loess hilly region of China

Min Tang; Wanning Li; Xiaodong Gao; Pute Wu; Hongchen Li; Qiang Ling; Chao Zhang

doi:10.7717/peerj.13736

Land use affects the response of soil moisture and soil temperature to environmental factors in the loess hilly region of China

PeerJ. 2022 Jul 14:10:e13736. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13736. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Min Tang¹, Wanning Li¹, Xiaodong Gao², Pute Wu², Hongchen Li³, Qiang Ling⁴, Chao Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China.
² Institute of Water-saving Agriculture in Arid Areas of China, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
³ School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai, Shandong, China.
⁴ College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Abstract

Changes in soil moisture and soil temperature result from the combined effects of several environmental factors. Scientific determination of the response characteristics of soil moisture and soil temperature to environmental factors is critical for adjusting the sloping land use structure and improving the ecological environment in China's loess hilly region. Soybean sloping fields, maize terraced fields, jujube orchards, and grasslands in the loess hilly region were selected as the research areas. The change in characteristics of soil moisture and soil temperature, as well as their interactions and statistical relationships with meteorological factors, were analyzed using continuously measured soil moisture, soil temperature, and meteorological factors. The results revealed that air temperature and humidity were the main controlling factors affecting soil moisture changes in the 0-60 cm soil layer of soybean sloping fields and grasslands in the normal precipitation year (2014) and the dry year (2015). Humidity and wind speed were the main meteorological factors affecting soil moisture changes in the maize terraced field. Air temperature had a significant negative effect on soil moisture in the jujube orchard. Soil moisture and soil temperature were all negatively correlated under the four sloping land use types. In normal precipitation years, atmospheric humidity had the greatest direct and comprehensive effect on soil moisture in soybean sloping fields, maize terraced fields, and grasslands; soil temperature had a relatively large impact on soil moisture in jujube orchards. The direct and comprehensive effects of soil temperature on soil moisture under all sloping land use types were the largest and most negative in the dry year. Air temperature had a high correlation with soil temperature in the 0-60 cm soil layer under the four sloping land use types, and the grey relational grade decreased as the soil layer deepened. The coefficient of determination between the 0-20 cm soil temperature and air temperature in the maize terraced field was low, indicating a weak response to air temperature. The above findings can serve as a scientific foundation for optimizing sloping land use structures and maximizing the efficient and sustainable utilization of sloping land resources in China's loess hilly region.

Keywords: Environmental factors; Land use; Loess hilly region; Soil moisture; Soil temperature.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Environment
Soil* / chemistry
Temperature
Water* / analysis

Substances

Soil
Water

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Research General Program of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (No. 21KJB210022), the “Lv Yang Jin Feng” Program of Yangzhou (No. YZLYJF2020PHD088), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51909228), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2020M671623), and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20210824). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.