Rapid Increase in the Lateral Transport of Trace Elements Induced by Soil Erosion in Major Karst Regions in China.

ABSTRACT: Soil erosion, which has been recently shown to significantly perturb carbon cycling, occurs naturally but can be either enhanced or reduced by human activities. However, the impacts of soil erosion on terrestrial contaminant cycles remain unclear. Here, we select eight trace elements, i.e., arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, and mercury, to examine the erosional impacts of the elements' fate and transport across China. By synthesizing the detailed distribution of soil erosion fluxes, soil element inventories, and diverse modeling methods, we reveal that while human activities have reduced the lateral transport of these elements in the Loess Plateau (Central North China, a 56% decline in the past two decades with a range of 46% to 110%) due to soil conservation projects

SUBMITTER: Liu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6485431 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature