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He S, Zhang C, Meng FR, Bourque CPA, Huang Z, Li X, Han Y, Feng S, Miao L, Liu C. Vegetation-cover control of between-site soil temperature evolution in a sandy desertland. Sci Total Environ 2024; 908:168372. [PMID: 37952671 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Vegetation has an important influence on soil temperature (ST). However, the possible effects of surface vegetation on ST and their feedback on microclimate remain uncertain due to the lack of in-situ and long-term environmental records, especially for arid and semiarid regions of the world. A continuous, two-year study was implemented over a bare sand dune (BF) and two scrub-vegetation sites of variable cover in the Mu Us Desert of northwest China. Surface vegetation at the two non-bare sites varied from about 40% (moderate cover, MF) and 80 % (high cover, HF) of their respective surface area. Depiction of the vertical ST-profile was based on an array of field-based measurements taken within the uppermost 180 cm of the soil complex at each site. Compared with the BF site, mean ST at MF and HF decreased by 1.2 and 1.6 °C during the uniform thaw period and increased by 0.1 and 1 °C during uniform freezing. Amplitude of seasonal variation in ST for both vegetated sites, i.e., MF and HF, was reduced by 2.4 and 4.9 °C, respectively. As soil cooling during the uniform thaw period was greater than soil warming during uniform freezing, annual mean ST decreased at both vegetated sites by 1.6 and 1.2 °C (for MF and HF, respectively) compared to ST at BF. Differences in ST among the three sites during the uniform freeze and thaw periods were exponentially correlated with the extent of site vegetation cover, leaf area index, aboveground biomass, and on-the-ground litter thickness. Vegetation cover was shown to reduce the depth of the frost layer by 30 cm and prolonged the uniform thaw period by 1-35 days at the HF site. Mean daily STs at the center of each soil layer at the three sites were simulated with a two-equation model developed for this study, yielding a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.91 when modeled STs were compared against their corresponding field observations. Increases in winter ST has potential to safeguard ground-dwelling grubs and other agriculturally harmful insects from freezing and dying. Likewise, decreases in annual ST could help promote decreases in litter decomposition, potentially lessening the effects of wind erosion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai He
- College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengfu Zhang
- College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, People's Republic of China.
| | - Fan-Rui Meng
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, 28 Dineen Drive, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Charles P-A Bourque
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, 28 Dineen Drive, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5A3, Canada
| | - Zhenying Huang
- Laboratory of Quantitative Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Li
- College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, People's Republic of China
| | - Yalu Han
- College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Feng
- College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Miao
- College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Liu
- College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, People's Republic of China
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