Rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a major terrestrial carbon reservoir, crucial for the global carbon cycle and climate change. However, the impact of urbanization-induced cropland encroachment on SOC remains underexplored. This study quantified SOC loss in the top 20 cm (SOC _20 ) and 100 cm (SOC _100 )...

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Main Authors: Zhao Ding, Zhaofan Wu, Xuan Zhou, Zhiming Wang, Huiwen Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:Environmental Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad9b3e
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author Zhao Ding
Zhaofan Wu
Xuan Zhou
Zhiming Wang
Huiwen Li
author_facet Zhao Ding
Zhaofan Wu
Xuan Zhou
Zhiming Wang
Huiwen Li
author_sort Zhao Ding
collection DOAJ
description Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a major terrestrial carbon reservoir, crucial for the global carbon cycle and climate change. However, the impact of urbanization-induced cropland encroachment on SOC remains underexplored. This study quantified SOC loss in the top 20 cm (SOC _20 ) and 100 cm (SOC _100 ) soil layers in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai (JZH) region from 1985 to 2019 using high-resolution land cover dataset and multi-temporal SOC maps. Our results show that the cumulative cropland encroachment area in the study area reached 18 925.65 km ^2 , approximately three times the area of Shanghai. The encroached areas of cropland in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai accounted for 59.72%, 31.49%, and 8.79% of the total, respectively. The cumulative SOC _100 loss in the JZH region was approximately 65.31 ± 32.45 Tg C, with the SOC _20 loss contributing about 32.97%, emphasizing the importance of deep SOC pool. The cumulative SOC _20 (SOC _100 ) losses in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai contributed approximately 55.36% (57.74%), 35.76% (31.96%), and 8.87% (10.3%) to the total losses in the JZH region, respectively. Moreover, the annual average SOC _100 loss accounted for about 8.6% to 25.59% of the terrestrial carbon sink flux (11.24 Tg C yr ^−1 ) in the JZH region, emphasizing that SOC loss due to cropland encroachment cannot be overlooked when evaluating the regional carbon sink capacity. Additionally, the positive correlation between SOC loss and regional gross domestic product highlights the trade-off between economic development model of urban expansion through cropland encroachment and the resulting substantial SOC loss. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing the impacts of urbanization on regional SOC stocks, especially with regard to deep soil, and provides scientific insights for future urban planning and land management in this region.
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spelling doaj-art-a7b1c6a57a4f4ef5a7c9a397e631cc6d2024-12-13T07:49:19ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262024-01-0120101401610.1088/1748-9326/ad9b3eRapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon lossZhao Ding0Zhaofan Wu1https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8618-5735Xuan Zhou2Zhiming Wang3https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0864-0806Huiwen Li4Key Laboratory of Crop Harvesting Equipment Technology of Zhejiang Province, Jinhua Vocational and Technical University , Jinhua 321017, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Ethnology and Sociology, Northwest Minzu University , Lanzhou 730124, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Crop Harvesting Equipment Technology of Zhejiang Province, Jinhua Vocational and Technical University , Jinhua 321017, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Crop Harvesting Equipment Technology of Zhejiang Province, Jinhua Vocational and Technical University , Jinhua 321017, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University , Xi’an, Shaanxi Province 710129, People’s Republic of China; Technology Innovation Center for Natural Ecosystem Carbon Sink, Ministry of Natural Resources , Kunming, Yunnan Province 650111, People’s Republic of ChinaSoil organic carbon (SOC) is a major terrestrial carbon reservoir, crucial for the global carbon cycle and climate change. However, the impact of urbanization-induced cropland encroachment on SOC remains underexplored. This study quantified SOC loss in the top 20 cm (SOC _20 ) and 100 cm (SOC _100 ) soil layers in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai (JZH) region from 1985 to 2019 using high-resolution land cover dataset and multi-temporal SOC maps. Our results show that the cumulative cropland encroachment area in the study area reached 18 925.65 km ^2 , approximately three times the area of Shanghai. The encroached areas of cropland in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai accounted for 59.72%, 31.49%, and 8.79% of the total, respectively. The cumulative SOC _100 loss in the JZH region was approximately 65.31 ± 32.45 Tg C, with the SOC _20 loss contributing about 32.97%, emphasizing the importance of deep SOC pool. The cumulative SOC _20 (SOC _100 ) losses in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai contributed approximately 55.36% (57.74%), 35.76% (31.96%), and 8.87% (10.3%) to the total losses in the JZH region, respectively. Moreover, the annual average SOC _100 loss accounted for about 8.6% to 25.59% of the terrestrial carbon sink flux (11.24 Tg C yr ^−1 ) in the JZH region, emphasizing that SOC loss due to cropland encroachment cannot be overlooked when evaluating the regional carbon sink capacity. Additionally, the positive correlation between SOC loss and regional gross domestic product highlights the trade-off between economic development model of urban expansion through cropland encroachment and the resulting substantial SOC loss. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing the impacts of urbanization on regional SOC stocks, especially with regard to deep soil, and provides scientific insights for future urban planning and land management in this region.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad9b3eurban expansion impactimpervious surfaceSOC dynamicsdeep soilland cover change
spellingShingle Zhao Ding
Zhaofan Wu
Xuan Zhou
Zhiming Wang
Huiwen Li
Rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss
Environmental Research Letters
urban expansion impact
impervious surface
SOC dynamics
deep soil
land cover change
title Rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss
title_full Rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss
title_fullStr Rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss
title_full_unstemmed Rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss
title_short Rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region of China leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss
title_sort rapid urbanization through cropland encroachment in the jiangsu zhejiang shanghai region of china leads to substantial soil organic carbon loss
topic urban expansion impact
impervious surface
SOC dynamics
deep soil
land cover change
url https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad9b3e
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