Premium
Spatial Patterns and Cross‐Correlations of Temporal Changes in Soil Carbonates and Surface Elevation in a Winter Wheat–Fallow Cropping System
Author(s) -
Sherrod Lucretia A.,
Erskine Robert H.,
Green Timothy R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2014.05.0222
Subject(s) - deposition (geology) , elevation (ballistics) , sedimentary depositional environment , landform , geology , erosion , hydrology (agriculture) , soil horizon , soil water , crop rotation , physical geography , environmental science , soil science , geomorphology , agronomy , geography , sediment , crop , biology , mathematics , geometry , geotechnical engineering , structural basin
Soil erosion and deposition impact the sustainability of agricultural lands within the semiarid Great Plains in the United States. Temporal differences between high‐resolution digital elevation maps provide physical estimates of spatial erosion or deposition, and the depth to a calcic horizon is a chemical indicator. We hypothesized that soil surface layer CaCO 3 concentration is inversely correlated with the change in surface elevation (Δ z ). We studied a 109‐ha field in northeastern Colorado under winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.)–fallow rotation in alternating strips perpendicular to the prevailing wind. Soil samples (top 30 cm) collected from 185 landscape positions in 2001 and 2012 were analyzed for CaCO 3 using a modified pressure‐calcimeter method. The change in CaCO 3 (Δ C ) was significantly correlated with large‐scale erosional and depositional areas (west and east blocks, respectively) and with soil units, whereas Δ z was correlated with management strips and blocks. The west block had an average Δ C of 3.2 g kg −1 with 2.0 cm of erosion, whereas the east block decreased by 4.4 g kg −1 with 4.2 cm of deposition. Summit positions had the highest CaCO 3 , and toeslope positions had the lowest. We found inverse relationships between Δ z and Δ C in summit and toeslope positions at both erosional (Δ z < −5 cm) and depositional (Δ z > 5 cm) areas, but Δ z was not correlated significantly with Δ C overall. High values of CaCO 3 (>100 g kg −1 ) decreased with time. A high‐resolution map of Δ z showed complex spatial patterns across scales, which inferred water and wind erosion and deposition affected by terrain and management.