Relationship between Soil Organic Carbon, Soil Nutrients, and Land Use in Linyi City (East China)

Abstract

The distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil nutrients under different land-use types in Linyi City, East China, were studied. The spatial distribution of SOC under different land-use types and the relationship between SOC and soil nutrients were analyzed using remote sensing interpretation and soil sample analyses. The results showed that SOC in Linyi was mainly stored in drylands and paddy fields. SOC and total nitrogen (TN) levels were positively correlated for most land use types. There was a positive linear correlation between SOC and total K in the paddy fields. The coefficients of variation for SOC and TN differed greatly among the land use types studied. Total SOC storage was 8772.73 × 103 kg in the surface 0.2 m soil layer. The order of total SOC storage was drylands (6771.45 × 103 ton) > paddy field (764.67 × 103 ton) > nurseries (510.79 × 103 ton) > forest land (413.49 × 103 ton) > low-cover grasslands (238 × 103 ton) > bare land (74.35 × 103 ton). With the largest SOC storage, and C density, respectively, drylands and paddy fields are conducive to enhancing soil C sequestration, achieving low-carbon goals, and mitigating climate change.