Purpose The assessment of soil quality related to different reclamation years and land use/cover types is the key parameter to evaluate the success of reclamation activities in coastal saline soil. Materials and methods Soil samples were collected from natural bare flat and coastal wetlands that have been reclaimed for different times (7, 32, 40, and 63 years) to investigate the change in soil quality

Purpose We compared the patterns of natural abundance of nitrogen (N) isotope ratio (δ15N) of total soil N among cropland, forest, and grassland soils, with special interests in the effects of farming system on cropland and grassland, and climate zone on forest soils, as well as the general effect of land-use change and site disturbance. Material and methods We analyzed data on δ15N of terrestrial

Purpose Intensive urbanization decreases the self-regulation of urban ecosystems, leading to accumulation of persistent pollutants such as trace metals and metalloids in urban environments. Road-deposited sediments (RDS) are important carriers of trace metals and metalloid contaminants that could contribute to urban runoff pollution. This study aims to investigate the concentration and speciation systemically

Purpose Biochar mediation of soil structure and carbon (C) sequestration has been tested, but the underlying mechanisms in this process are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of different organic matter applications on soil aggregation and associated C in Northeast China. Materials and methods Non-disrupted soil samples (0–20 cm in depth) were collected from the field improvement experiment

Purpose A 6-year (2011–2016) field experiment was performed to explore the effects of partial substitution of chemical fertilizer by green manure on rice yield, sustainability yield index, and the building-up of different fractions of soil organic carbon, soil nitrogen, and phosphorus. Materials and methods The experiment included no fertilization (NF), chemical fertilizer only (CF100), and Chinese

Purpose High water-level fluctuations (WLFs) usually lead to the periodic drying and rewetting of littoral sediment, proven to influence the transformation of various sediment contaminants. However, details regarding metal bioavailability variations remain unclear. In this study, oxidation–reduction status transition, metal fraction transformation, and the development of the acid volatile sulfide (AVS)

Purpose Texcoco saline lake in Mexico is an important habitat for over 300 species and recharges the Mexico City aquifer. Presently, it is on the verge of disappearance due to increasing anthropogenic pressure and comprises only a few wetland remnants. The impacts of human activities on these wetlands are unknown and uninvestigated. In this regard, this study investigates the degree of metal contamination

Purpose Different amendments have diverse adsorption capacity for heavy metals. The objectives of this study were to evaluate adsorption efficiency of different kinds of amendments for heavy metals and to provide theoretical guidance for alleviation of heavy metals. Materials and methods The indoor oscillating experiments were carried out to investigate the adsorption efficiency of five amendments

Purpose To understand the impact of geochemical sedimentation history for arsenic (As) distribution in the sediment profiles of the Hetao Basin, we (1) evaluated sediments provenance and variations of weathering intensities, (2) attempted to reconstruct the depositional environments, and (3) explored the As and Fe speciation in the sediments. Combining the information above, different sedimentation

Purpose Comparing to conventional laboratory methods, visible–near-infrared reflectance (vis–NIR) spectroscopy is a more practical and cost-effective approach for estimating soil physical and chemical properties. Materials and methods This paper aims to build statistical machine learning models to investigate the efficiency of spectral data for comprehensive evaluation of the soil quality indicators

Purpose Industrial organic waste (IOW) from slaughter and processing of poultry and swine might be potential crop fertilizer. The use of IOW is known to alter the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and exchangeable cations. However, its effects on soil physical properties and processes are still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the isolated and combined application of

Purpose Increasing organic matter input and phosphorus fertilization are employed extensively to restore degraded grasslands. Nevertheless, little is known about their effects on microbes, especially on active microbial populations. Therefore, this study is aimed at examining the short-term influences of litter and phosphorus addition on microbes in degraded grassland soils. Materials and methods A

Purpose There have been many studies about the effects of long-term fertilizations on crop yields and soil organic carbon. However, little attention has been paid to the response of soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to fertilization practices. The aims of this work were to investigate the variations of the content and the chemical composition of soil DOC under long-term different fertilizations and

Purpose The contribution of hydroxylamine (NH2OH) and nitrite (NO2−) to nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) production remains unclear in vegetable production soils. Materials and methods Soils collected from six typical greenhouse vegetable fields were incubated for 48 h following amendment with 1 mM NaNO2, 10 μM NH2OH, or 1 mM NaNO2 + 10 μM NH2OH. The importance of abiotic processes on the

Purpose The need for further research to investigate the possibility of using 7Be as a soil erosion tracer under a range of climatic conditions, specifically in arid and semi-arid agro-environments, has been emphasised in the literature. In this context, this paper reports research conducted in two semi-arid areas located in Western Iran and Southern Italy in order to assess the potential of using

Purpose The success of phytoremediation relies on beneficial plant-microbe interactions. However, the changes of soil microbiota, during the phytoremediation of ion-adsorption rare earth element (REE) mine tailings, are far from understood. The present study was conducted to reveal the co-occurrence patterns and key regulating factors of bacterial communities in ion-adsorption REE mine tailings with

Purpose The cost-efficient methods of analysis, such as rapid short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral analysis, have been applied for the efficient exploration of critical raw materials (CRM), including mineral components and rare earth elements (REE) from the deep-ocean sediments. Methods Gravity cored sediment samples were collected during an oceanographic mission to the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG)

Purpose Many selenium (Se)-enriched soils suffer from severe lead (Pb) contamination. Many studies indicated that soil humus can effectively absorb heavy metal ions, and Se can alleviate Pb accumulation in plants. However, few studies explored the effects of exogenous Se levels on humus composition in Se-enriched soil and Pb enrichment in Brassica juncea (B. juncea). Materials and methods We conducted

Purpose For the sake of risk assessment for arsenic-contaminated sites, the purpose of this study is to estimate the bioavailable arsenic fractions in soil by using the three arsenic-specific sequential extraction procedures (SEPs) and distinguish which SEP can reliably identify and estimate the bioavailable arsenic, so as to screen the most suitable SEP for the risk assessment of arsenic-contaminated

Purpose Sorption of organic compounds to soil largely determines their mobility and bioavailability in ecosystems. It is well known that molecular properties of the organic sorbates affect the sorbed amounts and sorption kinetics. But also changes in the hydration status of soils alter the physicochemical and sorptive properties of soil organic matter (SOM), which is the main sorbent for organic compounds

Purpose Fulvic acid (FA) is a series of organic macromolecular compounds with many oxygen-containing functional groups and is easy to complex with nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment, thus affecting the stability and mobility of NPs in the water environment. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the transport behavior of nano titanium dioxide (nTiO2) particles with FA in the presence of phosphate

Purpose Complex phenomena of the precipitation and accumulation of calcium carbonate in urban soils and sediments have been studied. They are linked to the interactions between the lithosphere, the biosphere, and the atmosphere. Calcium and its compounds are among the main elements determining soil’s morphological, physical, and chemical characteristics. This study was aimed at summarizing information

Purpose Environmentally sensitive areas within urban environment (U-ESA) play an essential role in maintaining urban ecological balance and ecological safety. The aims of our study were to analyse and evaluate the U-ESA spatial distribution in Bratislava city, in terms of the impact of sealed area, soil quality and urban green areas infrastructure as well as the occurrence of urban heat island in the

Purpose The study was intended to determine whether the composition or distribution of humic substances from lake sediment could be characterized by spectroscopic data with chemometrics methods. Materials and methods The research materials were humic substances extracted from sediment samples collected in heavily polluted areas in Wuliangsuhai Lake. Humic substance extraction was performed using the

In the published version of this article, there was an error in Fig. 2b.

Purpose Changes in the magnetic phase, magnetic concentration, and/or magnetic grain-sized of dust-bound iron-bearing minerals depend on both lithogenic components and anthropogenic inputs. Knowledge of the magnetic properties of road dusts in various road ecosystems is of paramount importance to control dust pollution for the benefit of the environment and human health. Methods The magnetic characteristics

Propose In the soil environment, the existence of Cr(VI)-reducing microorganisms might affect the adsorption, desorption and reduction of Cr(VI) adsorbed on soil minerals (such as Fe oxides). The behaviour of Cr(VI)-reducing microorganisms might affect the adsorption and reduction of Cr(VI) by soil minerals. Materials and methods Goethite and haematite with saturated adsorbed Cr(VI) were incubated

Purpose Vegetated slope is an important ecosystem to protect the landslide and soil erosion. Although the heterogeneity of slope has received increasing attention, the understanding of soil microbial community and ecological process in the slope soil still remains limited. The purpose of this study was to figure out the slope spatial heterogeneity through measuring dynamics of nitrogen (N) diffusion

Purpose Iron (Fe) oxides play an important role in regulating nitrification and N2O emissions, but there is very little study on the biological-chemical comprehensive effects of Fe oxides on nitrification and N2O emissions. Materials and methods A laboratory incubation experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of goethite addition on nitrification and N2O emissions from acidic and alkaline paddy

Purpose To develop efficient strategies and methods to remediate soils contaminated by metal(loid)s, it is vital to monitor the metal(loid)s in the soil by conducting field surveys and properly understanding their transport and spatial distribution characteristics. The present study aimed to elucidate the distinctive spatial distribution of anthropogenic arsenic (As) and metals from abandoned metal

Purpose Intensified livestock system produced large amount of bio-waste, and improper disposal of livestock manure has led to severe environmental consequences. However, knowledge about the time-dependent changes of manure-derived nitrate and soil bacterial diversity along the soil profiles is limited. Materials and methods Vertical variation of soil bacterial diversity and composition in a manure-amended

Purpose Variations in soil temperature and water content are important indicators of land desertification, and play a significant role in ecological environments in desert regions, thus could help in establishing effective measures to combat desertification. In this study, the changing characteristics of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) burrows, soil water content, and temperature under three levels

Purpose Coastal orchards, with greater humidity and precipitation, are favorable for fruit production, as well as mildew fungi development, thus becoming hot spots of Cu concentrations in soils due to the use of copper-based fungicides. However, little is known on the variation tendencies of Cu availability and mobility from these soils. This study aims to investigate the accumulation, spatial-temporal

Purpose Traditional soil organic carbon density (SOCD) measurement is time-consuming and costly, from field sampling to laboratory analysis. However, visible to near-infrared reflectance (vis-NIR) spectroscopy can rapidly estimate SOCD and thereby permit rapid, inexpensive measurements that support environmental management. Our aim was to explore the relationship between SOCD and vis-NIR spectra, with

Purpose Organic compounds originating from treated wastewater and soil texture have been reported to be the dominant factors influencing soil hydrophobicity. It is the aim of this investigation to elaborate the role of humic acid, dextran, and valeric acid, representing dissolved organic matter, polysaccharides, and fatty acids, respectively, as well as imitating their activity in inducing soil sub-critical

Purpose The research aimed to investigate properties and functions of soils constructed from alkaline mining wastes of different origin to remediate the industrial barren resulted from long-term emissions of the copper-nickel factory in the Subarctic region (Kola Peninsula, Russia). Conventional indicators of the remediation effectiveness (pH and metal content in geochemical fractions) were related

Purpose Earthworm mucus is a ubiquitous source of C and N for soil biochemical processes and likely fuels direct interactions with other soil organisms; however, its chemical composition is little known and was the research question addressed by this research. A method was developed for the collection of sufficient amounts of cutaneous mucus from highly isotopically labelled earthworms with the objective

Purpose Subsoil has great potential for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stock. Soil compaction decreases the content of SOC in the topsoil layer and leads to the formation of a plow pan in subsoil. However, measures for improving poor soil structure mainly concentrate on topsoil. This study aims to understand the effect of subsoiling management practices on soil aggregation and accumulation of

Purposes Prescribed burning is projected to be adopted more frequently with intensifying climate change; thus, a long-term study is necessary to understand the burning impacts on forest productivity and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Litter fall production rate can be used to indicate burning impacts on forest productivity, whereas N concentration, and C and N isotope composition (δ13C and δ15N)

Purpose Sustaining crop yield and decreasing the environmental risk of phosphorus (P) loss are key challenges for P fertilization management, which is helpful for achieving the goals for agriculture sustainable development. The effects of the long-term application of different organic amendments on P loss through surface runoff and leaching on sloping croplands have not been studied until now. Materials

Purpose The massive mining of ion-adsorption-type rare earth ore has led to a series of problems such as soil acidification, land degradation, and water pollution, and thus, an effective method of treating rare earth tailings is urgently needed. The goal of this study was to explore the rehabilitation effect of the combined application of bamboo biochar (BB) and coal ash (CA) on ion-adsorption-type

Purpose Molecular organic markers are an effective tool to detect the adverse effects of anthropogenic inputs in the aquatic environment. Linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) are sewage molecular organic markers that are released into the environment as a consequence of the incomplete sulphonation step of industrial detergents. In the current work, the characterisation, sources and degradation of LABs in the

Purpose Heavy metal soluble forms pose a threat to plants, soil microflora, and microfauna. To limit their toxicity and mobility, various immobilizing additives are being developed. The main aim of the study was to determine the influence of soil flocculant (cationic polyacrylamide (CtPAM)) on the hexavalent chromium ion reduction and accumulation on the kaolinite surface. In this way, the efficiency

Purpose Soil salinization and degradation in the arid and semiarid areas are a worldwide phenomenon. Soil capping with capillary barriers is a potential practice to hydraulically isolate contaminated soils, which may improve the soil environment for plant growth. This study aims to investigate the influences of soil capping on crop growth and soil salinization control in the arid area with shallow

Purpose Phosphorus (P) occurs in soils in organic and inorganic forms with different levels of lability. A considerable portion of this nutrient accumulates in soil with variable recalcitrance. This accumulated P fraction is known as P legacy. In this article, we conducted the first bibliometric analysis of the global scientific publication on the dynamics and P legacy in soil, thus mapping the science

Purpose Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-enhanced soil washing is an important technique of removing potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from contaminated soils. Conventional mechanical shaking (CMS) method is widely adopted in soil washing. However, it consumes a considerable amount of time and energy. Extraction methods which need less contact time or power, such as static equilibrium extraction

Purpose Suspended sediment (SS) transport in rivers is highly variable, making it challenging to develop predictive models that are applicable across timescales and rivers. Previous studies have identified catchment and hydro-meteorological variables controlling SS concentrations. However, due to the lack of long-term, high-frequency SS monitoring, it remains difficult to link SS transport dynamics

Purpose Severe water erosion of coarse-textured soils, thereby exposing subsurface horizons at the surface, is a serious problem in southern China. Currently, there are few systematic studies on erosion processes and features as the various coarse-textured subsurface horizons are exposed. Materials and methods The main objective in this study was to investigate the effects of rainfall intensity and

Purpose The study aimed to determine the effect of the addition of innovative combinations of organic-mineral mixtures obtained from biochar (BC), zeolite (Z), soil (S), poultry litter (PL), and slurry (SL) to post-flotation sediment (PFS) on (i) heavy metal mobility, (ii) heavy metal accumulation in willow, and (iii) PFS respiratory activity. Materials and methods The tests were carried out under

Purpose Tea gardens, being a key agroecosystem type, are an important source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. However, main factors that regulate N2O emissions following urea and organic matter amendments have yet to be clarified. Materials and methods To investigate the influence of different fertilization management measures on N2O emissions in tea garden soil, a 50-day laboratory incubation experiment

Purpose Source apportionment is a crucial step toward reducing heavy metal (HM) pollution within soils. Although comparison of receptor models to apportion sources is well-established in air and water pollution, it has been poorly implemented in evaluations of soil pollution. This study aimed (1) to assess the accumulation of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd and Hg in soils of fluvial islands of the lower

Purpose The main objective of this research was to examine the effects of inter-annual water regime variation on soil and plant characteristics, and soil–vegetation relationship at the lakeshore wetland of Poyang Lake, China. Materials and methods Six transects which paralleled the lakeshore were established at a typical Carex lakeshore wetland of Poyang Lake. We performed the field investigation and

Purpose Biochars have considerable potential to improve soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and consequently regulate greenhouse gas emissions. However, the important roles of microbial mediation in the biochar-induced SOC accumulation over the plant growth season have not been adequately explored. Here, we illustrated the interactive effects of biochar amendments and plant growth stages on the

Purpose The purposes of this study were to analyse the spatiotemporal variations in greenhouse gas diffusive fluxes at the sediment–water interface of sewage-draining rivers and natural rivers, and investigate the factors responsible for the changes in greenhouse gas diffusive fluxes. Materials and methods Greenhouse gas diffusive fluxes at the sediment–water interface of rivers in Tianjin city (Haihe

Purpose Within most environmental contexts, the collection of ‘undisturbed’ samples is widely relied upon in studies of soil and sediments. However, the impact of sampler-induced disturbance is rarely acknowledged, despite the potential significance of modification to sediment structure for the robustness of data interpretation. In this study, 3D computed X-ray microtomography (μCT) is used to evaluate

Purpose Implementing practices that maximize water use efficiency in arid zones is important as agriculture relies mostly on irrigation in these agroecosystems. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of combining different sowing irrigation methods (dry and wet) with contrasting tillage practices (conventional practices and conservation agriculture) on bacterial community structure in soils

Purpose The quantitative study for the allocation of photosynthetically fixed carbon to plant tissues, soil, and respiratory losses is essential for understanding the key process of carbon (C) cycle. In this study, the measured C flux data was used to validate a process-based denitrification-decomposition (DNDC) model, and the C budget components were simulated and quantitatively separated in the Qinghai-Tibet

Purpose Biochar, due to its heterogeneity, may not be equally effective for cationic and anionic metals/metalloid immobilization in soil. Biochar modification could facilitate the immobilization of specific metals/metalloids in soil. Materials and methods This study explored the potential of unmodified and modified (with KMnO4) biochars derived from sawdust and rice husk at two different temperatures

Purpose The sediment dynamics of (peri-)glacial catchments can be highly variable and complex. Understanding these dynamics and their underlying causes is not only of interest from a scientific perspective but also required to address the practical problems with which they are often associated. In order to better understand the sediment dynamics of glaciated mountainous catchments, suspended sediment

Purpose Liming is the most widely used agricultural practice for acidic paddy soils amelioration, which is usually applied before rice transplanting. Both liming and soil moisture can affect the generation of CO2 and N2O. This study aimed to investigate the optimal water management strategy after liming in paddy field under the consideration of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. Materials and methods