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Contributions of Asian dust to subtropical soils of Southeast China based on Nd isotope

  • Soils, Sec 4 • Ecotoxicology • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

China is not only a main source area of Asian dust but also a significantly affected area of dust deposition in the world. However, the influence range of Asian dust deposition and its influence on soil provenance remains unclear, particularly in subtropical regions. This study identified the substantial effect of Asian dust on soils and quantified its contribution to subtropical soils of China.

Materials and methods

Three soil profiles derived from basalt in subtropical area (Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China) were selected and sampled. The pH, bulk density, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils were determined. The Neodymium (Nd) and Thorium (Th) concentrations and Nd isotope of soils were determined. We used the Nd elemental and isotopic geochemistry to assess the deposition of Asian dust in soil profiles (up to 1 m depth).

Results and discussion

The upper soil layers have negative \({\varepsilon }_{Nd}(0)\) values, which were close to those of Asian dust \({\varepsilon }_{Nd}\left(0\right)=-3.30)\), indicating the input of Asian dust to soils. Further, the high dust-derived Nd proportion in the soils \({(f}_{dust}^{Nd}=43\%)\) also suggested a great contribution of Asian dust on soils. A comparison of Nd in the soils from subtropics (Zhejiang province, Southeast China) and tropics (Hainan province, China’s southernmost point) indicated that both regions were influenced by Asian dust but at different degrees.

Conclusions

Asian dust has been identified as a vital source of Nd in subtropical soils of China. The high mass fraction of dust-derived Nd in the soil profiles indicated the important role of dust input in soil genesis. The results also suggest that Nd isotopes are powerful fingerprints in tracing the origin of soil materials.

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Funding

The research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41877006), Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang province (LY21D010002) and New Talent Plan Project of Zhejiang province (2020R412048).

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Author notes

  1. Jianwu Li and Yucheng Ren contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China

    Jianwu Li, Yucheng Ren, Fangfang Zhang, Yongfu Li, Xudong Wang & Zhengqian Ye

  2. Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Menangle, NSW, 2568, Australia

    Yunying Fang

  3. National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310008, China

    Li Ruan

Authors
  1. Jianwu Li
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  2. Yucheng Ren
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  4. Yongfu Li
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  7. Li Ruan
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Correspondence to Yongfu Li or Li Ruan.

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Responsible editor: Dong-Mei Zhou

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Li, J., Ren, Y., Zhang, F. et al. Contributions of Asian dust to subtropical soils of Southeast China based on Nd isotope. J Soils Sediments 21, 3845–3855 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03053-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03053-3

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