Only small changes in the soil organic carbon stocks in the mollisol region of Northeast China since the 1980s

Article: Soil organic carbon stocks and dynamics in a mollisol region: A 1980s – 2010s study

Authors: Wang, Sichu et al.

Publication: Science of the Total Environment

Year: 2022

Mollisol regions are significant grain production areas due to their naturally productive and fertile soil. This study examined changes in soil organic carbon stocks in the mollisol region of Northeast China.

The local climate, land use and farming methods in the area have changed enormously between the 1980s and 2010s. According to the results, however, the topsoil carbon stocks remained relatively the same size, and the carbon stocks deeper than the topsoil increased, measured up to one meter depth. A slowdown in land reclamation and implementation of conservation tillage helped maintain and restore carbon stocks.

Although the total carbon stocks increased, the carbon was not evenly distributed in the fields. In the varying terrain, coal left parts of the field along with erosion, and accumulated in the lower parts of the slopes. The summary of the study states that although there were no major changes in carbon stocks, attention should be paid to erosion control in Northeast China and other mollisol regions.