Spatial and Temporal Variability of Soil Organic Carbon in the Corn Belt of Northeastern China, 1980s–2005: A Case Study in Four Counties

Estimates of changes and possible causes of regional soil organic carbon (SOC) are critical for evaluation of potential responses of terrestrial biosphere to global changes. A total of 382 soil samples, collected in the 1980s from four counties in the Corn Belt of northeastern China, and of 1,514 samples collected in 2005 from the same area, were examined for SOC concentrations. Spatial and temporal SOC concentrations were evaluated after the 25-year interval using geostatistics and kriging interpolation method. Results indicated that the average topsoil SOC concentrations of the study area increased from 1.24% in the 1980s to 1.47% in 2005. Spatial distributions of SOC in the two separate evaluations showed greater SOC concentrations in the middle part of the study area and lower SOC concentrations in the remaining areas. From the 1980s to 2005, SOC concentrations in the central part increased, whereas those in the northeastern and southwestern parts decreased. The increasing trend of SOC concentrations might be attributed to the land-use and land cover changes, crop productivity increase, and agricultural management.