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Analysis of soil organic carbon composition characteristics and causes in Wuming region Karst landforms, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China

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Abstract

Karst landforms are special geological structures in southwestern China that are closely related to local ecological environments and human activity. This study focuses on the Wuming District, Nanning City, Guangxi Province, China, to explore the influence of different factors on the organic carbon storage and density characteristics of typical karst landform soils in the Wuming area. A multi-objective geochemical investigation was conducted from five perspectives: geological age, rock type, landform type, soil type, and land-use type. Surface and deep soil organic carbon (SOC) content data were obtained, and the organic carbon density and storage were calculated for the study area. The results showed significant vertical heterogeneity in soil organic carbon content, with carbon storage increasing with depth, indicating distinct carbon sink characteristics (p < 0.01). Overall soil organic carbon density was highest in the Devonian period among the different geologic ages (up to 3.92 kg/m2 in the surface layer), with acidic rocks resulting from ancient volcanic activity showing the highest organic carbon density among the lithological classifications (4.09 kg/m2). Karst landform soils, primarily limestone, had a higher organic carbon density than that of other terrains, particularly in carbonate rocks intermingled with clastic rocks. Despite the limited distribution of Bog soil within the study area, they exhibited the greatest carbon sequestration capacity among all evaluated soil types, with a soil organic carbon Density of 4.81 kg/m2. The predominant land-use type was arable land, encompassing a vast expanse dedicated to dryland farming—72.66% of the study area's total extent—which accounted for the highest organic carbon storage, estimated at 3.14 Tg. Conversely, paddy fields demonstrated superior organic carbon density. Collectively, these results illuminate the intricate interactions among variables that affect organic carbon storage and density in the soils of karst landscapes within the study area. This contributes to a deeper understanding of carbon cycling and its management within karst ecosystems.

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Availability of data and materials

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Multi-Purpose Regional Geochemical Survey (NMPRGS) Project (GZTR20060115, GZTR20070107, GZTR20080110, DD20160327-03); Guangxi Key Mineral Resources Deep Exploration Talent Highland ((GuiZuTong) [2019] No.85).

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  1. Siyao Feng and Xinying Ke contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Survey of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China

    Jie Li, Xinyu Wang & Lei Wang

  2. College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, China

    Xinying Ke, Jie Luo & Siyao Feng

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  1. Jie Li
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  3. Xinyu Wang
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  4. Lei Wang
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Contributions

Jie Li and Xinying Ke conducted formal analysis, wrote the original draft, and were involved in funding acquisition. Xinyu Wang and Lei Wang contributed to formal analysis, investigation, and methodology. Jie Luo provided conceptualization, led the writing, and oversaw the review and editing. Siyao Feng focused on methodology, formal analysis, and participated in the writing and review process.All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xinying Ke or Siyao Feng.

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Not applicable. This work did not describe experiments with animals, human subjects, or human tissue samples.

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The manuscript entitled, “Analysis of SOC Composition Characteristics and Causes in Wuming Region Karst Landforms, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China” is prepared in accordance with the Guide for Authors available on the journal’s website and it has not been published elsewhere in part or in its entirety. All authors attest to the validity of its contents, and agree to its submission.

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Li, J., Ke, X., Wang, X. et al. Analysis of soil organic carbon composition characteristics and causes in Wuming region Karst landforms, Nanning, Guangxi Province, China. Environ Earth Sci 83, 349 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11660-9

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