the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
How do Microtopography Act in the Pedogenic Characteristics of Mudstone-derived Soils in Hilly Mountainous Regions?
Abstract. The topography is a critical factor that determines the characteristics of regional soil formation. Small-scale topographic changes are defined as microtopographies. As a characteristic topographic condition in hilly mountainous regions, the redistribution of water and soil materials caused by microtopography is the main factor affecting the spatial heterogeneity of soil and the utilization of land resources. In this study, the influence of microtopography on pedogenesis was investigated using soil samples formed from mudstones with lacustrine facies deposition in the middle of the Sichuan Basin and developed into hill landforms by erosion of flowing water. Soil profiles were sampled along the slopes at the summit, shoulder, backslope, footslope, and toeslope positions. The morphological, physiochemical, and geochemical attributes of profiles were analysed. The results showed that the soil thickness increased significantly with changes in the soil profile configuration from the summit to the toeslope, and the profile configuration changed from A-C to A-B-C. The migration direction of Ca and Na at the summit, backslope, and footslope changed from enrichment to leaching, whereas that of Al, Fe, and Mg changed from leaching to enrichment. At the summit and shoulder of the hillslope, weathered materials are transported away by gravity and surface erosion, and new rocks are often exposed; therefore, the characteristics of soil development is relatively weak. However, in flat areas such as the footslope and toeslope with sufficient water conditions, the long-term contact between water, soil, and sediment leads to further chemical weathering, resulting in highly developed characteristics. Microtopography can affect physicochemical properties, chemical weathering, and redistribution of water and materials, resulting in differences in pedogenic characteristics at different slope positions.
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CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', gangcai liu, 27 Feb 2023
The spatial heterogeneity of slope soil in hilly region is very obvious. Through field investigation and sampling analysis, the author revealed the formation mechanism of the spatial heterogeneity of slope soil, which provides a new scientific basis for the improvement and management of slope soil in the study area. Therefore, this study has obvious innovation and scientific value.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-CC1 -
AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
Thanks very much for your approval of this research, we will continue to work hard.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC1
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AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
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CC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Ningxiang Ouyang, 03 Mar 2023
The terrain significantly impacts soil development, especially in soil morphology and physical and chemical properties. The manuscript studies the influence of microtopography on soil genesis by using soil samples formed by lacustrine sedimentary mudstones in the central Sichuan Basin. This is a good study, and its results are of considerable interest. Some minor revisions are list below.
Line166 Is the author comparing the RR value of B horizon soil at different slope positions?
Line194 The soil organic carbon content in layer B increased with the decrease in altitude. This conclusion is very interesting. Can the author explain the reason in detail?
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-CC2 -
AC3: 'Reply on CC2', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
Thanks very much for your valuable comments on our research paper. After careful consideration, we maked the following reply:
Question 1: Line 166 compared the averages RR values for each profile horizon of the footslope and toeslope. A decreasing trend from the summit to the toeslope was observed in all horizons, and the RR values of the footslope and toeslope were similar. Thus, the RR values of horizon B were not described separately; instead, an overall description was provided in lines 168-170.
Question 2: Due to soil erosion, the surface soil with a high content of SOC at higher topography was detached, transported, and deposited along the slope. This gradual increase in soil thickness also led to the accumulation of SOC in horizon B. The leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in horizon A also contributed to the increase of SOC in horizon B. At the same time, compared to horizon A, horizon B was less affected by tillage and had lower microbial content. This allowed for more SOC to be preserved rather than mineralized by microorganisms, resulting in a relative enrichment of SOC.Â
Thanks again for your constructive comments. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC3
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AC3: 'Reply on CC2', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
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CC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Youjin Luo, 06 Mar 2023
Topography is a key factor that controls soil genesis and strongly influences the physicochemical properties. The manuscript studies the influence of microtopography on soil genesis by using soil samples formed by lacustrine sedimentary mudstones in the central Sichuan Basin, to clarify the effect of microtopography on pedogenic characteristics. This is a very interesting topic for further understanding of regional soil formation has scientific value.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-CC3 -
AC2: 'Reply on CC3', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
Thanks very much for your attention to this study. If there are any questions about this paper later, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC2
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AC2: 'Reply on CC3', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Apr 2023
Dear Author, overall the work is well-redacted. The introduction is adequate and it provides a complete state of arts. However, you must solve some issues, especially those concerning material and methods. One of the keywords is "microtopography" but I think this aspect could be deeply explored in the paper. You present the study area on a very small scale, with a 30 m digital elevation model. In order to show the role of microtopography in the pedogenetic processes, probably you have to provide a high-resolution elevation model of the area; A 3d model is suggested. Are you take into account introducing topographical indexes (TPI, i.e)? You have GPS points for each sample; a 2d map with the distribution of samples could be useful.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-RC1 -
AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Chaofu Wei, 11 May 2023
We greatly appreciate your professional review work on our article. According to your helpful suggestions, we have made extensive corrections to our previous draft. The detailed corrections are listed below. Firstly, we will explore the influence of microtopography on soil formation further in the introduction and discussion. Secondly, we will provide a 12.5m resolution DEM and use it to create a 3D model of the study area. Thirdly, we will take your constructive suggestions into account and consider introducing TPI in our study. Finally, Figure 1 now includes the sampling points with GPS coordinates, and we have enlarged it to reflect the sampling points more clearly. Thank you once again for your valuable comments.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC4
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AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Chaofu Wei, 11 May 2023
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RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Anonymous Referee #2, 18 Apr 2023
I would like to thank Luo et al. for their submission to SOIL. I enjoyed reading about toposequences in this region of China. The authors presented a suit of physical, chemical, and mineralogical data for 5 toposequences forming from similar parent material in the Sichuan basin. They general found changes in bulk elemental composition with slope position. The current state of the manuscript is not ready for publication and needs major revision. Currently, this manuscript presents a lot of data but lacks organization and direction in terms of the manuscript objectives, findings, and discussion. Please see the attached pdf for additional general comments and more specific line-by-line comments.
- AC5: 'Reply on RC2', Chaofu Wei, 11 May 2023
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EC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Giacomo Certini, 12 May 2023
Please submit the revised version of the manuscript.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-EC1 -
AC6: 'Reply on EC1', Chaofu Wei, 14 Jun 2023
Thank you very much for your attention to our manuscript. We have made major revisions and uploaded the revised manuscript today (June 14th).
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC6
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AC6: 'Reply on EC1', Chaofu Wei, 14 Jun 2023
Status: closed
-
CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', gangcai liu, 27 Feb 2023
The spatial heterogeneity of slope soil in hilly region is very obvious. Through field investigation and sampling analysis, the author revealed the formation mechanism of the spatial heterogeneity of slope soil, which provides a new scientific basis for the improvement and management of slope soil in the study area. Therefore, this study has obvious innovation and scientific value.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-CC1 -
AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
Thanks very much for your approval of this research, we will continue to work hard.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC1
-
AC1: 'Reply on CC1', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
-
CC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Ningxiang Ouyang, 03 Mar 2023
The terrain significantly impacts soil development, especially in soil morphology and physical and chemical properties. The manuscript studies the influence of microtopography on soil genesis by using soil samples formed by lacustrine sedimentary mudstones in the central Sichuan Basin. This is a good study, and its results are of considerable interest. Some minor revisions are list below.
Line166 Is the author comparing the RR value of B horizon soil at different slope positions?
Line194 The soil organic carbon content in layer B increased with the decrease in altitude. This conclusion is very interesting. Can the author explain the reason in detail?
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-CC2 -
AC3: 'Reply on CC2', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
Thanks very much for your valuable comments on our research paper. After careful consideration, we maked the following reply:
Question 1: Line 166 compared the averages RR values for each profile horizon of the footslope and toeslope. A decreasing trend from the summit to the toeslope was observed in all horizons, and the RR values of the footslope and toeslope were similar. Thus, the RR values of horizon B were not described separately; instead, an overall description was provided in lines 168-170.
Question 2: Due to soil erosion, the surface soil with a high content of SOC at higher topography was detached, transported, and deposited along the slope. This gradual increase in soil thickness also led to the accumulation of SOC in horizon B. The leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in horizon A also contributed to the increase of SOC in horizon B. At the same time, compared to horizon A, horizon B was less affected by tillage and had lower microbial content. This allowed for more SOC to be preserved rather than mineralized by microorganisms, resulting in a relative enrichment of SOC.Â
Thanks again for your constructive comments. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC3
-
AC3: 'Reply on CC2', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
-
CC3: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Youjin Luo, 06 Mar 2023
Topography is a key factor that controls soil genesis and strongly influences the physicochemical properties. The manuscript studies the influence of microtopography on soil genesis by using soil samples formed by lacustrine sedimentary mudstones in the central Sichuan Basin, to clarify the effect of microtopography on pedogenic characteristics. This is a very interesting topic for further understanding of regional soil formation has scientific value.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-CC3 -
AC2: 'Reply on CC3', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
Thanks very much for your attention to this study. If there are any questions about this paper later, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC2
-
AC2: 'Reply on CC3', Chaofu Wei, 07 Mar 2023
-
RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Anonymous Referee #1, 14 Apr 2023
Dear Author, overall the work is well-redacted. The introduction is adequate and it provides a complete state of arts. However, you must solve some issues, especially those concerning material and methods. One of the keywords is "microtopography" but I think this aspect could be deeply explored in the paper. You present the study area on a very small scale, with a 30 m digital elevation model. In order to show the role of microtopography in the pedogenetic processes, probably you have to provide a high-resolution elevation model of the area; A 3d model is suggested. Are you take into account introducing topographical indexes (TPI, i.e)? You have GPS points for each sample; a 2d map with the distribution of samples could be useful.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-RC1 -
AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Chaofu Wei, 11 May 2023
We greatly appreciate your professional review work on our article. According to your helpful suggestions, we have made extensive corrections to our previous draft. The detailed corrections are listed below. Firstly, we will explore the influence of microtopography on soil formation further in the introduction and discussion. Secondly, we will provide a 12.5m resolution DEM and use it to create a 3D model of the study area. Thirdly, we will take your constructive suggestions into account and consider introducing TPI in our study. Finally, Figure 1 now includes the sampling points with GPS coordinates, and we have enlarged it to reflect the sampling points more clearly. Thank you once again for your valuable comments.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC4
-
AC4: 'Reply on RC1', Chaofu Wei, 11 May 2023
-
RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Anonymous Referee #2, 18 Apr 2023
I would like to thank Luo et al. for their submission to SOIL. I enjoyed reading about toposequences in this region of China. The authors presented a suit of physical, chemical, and mineralogical data for 5 toposequences forming from similar parent material in the Sichuan basin. They general found changes in bulk elemental composition with slope position. The current state of the manuscript is not ready for publication and needs major revision. Currently, this manuscript presents a lot of data but lacks organization and direction in terms of the manuscript objectives, findings, and discussion. Please see the attached pdf for additional general comments and more specific line-by-line comments.
- AC5: 'Reply on RC2', Chaofu Wei, 11 May 2023
-
EC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2022-1352', Giacomo Certini, 12 May 2023
Please submit the revised version of the manuscript.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-EC1 -
AC6: 'Reply on EC1', Chaofu Wei, 14 Jun 2023
Thank you very much for your attention to our manuscript. We have made major revisions and uploaded the revised manuscript today (June 14th).
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1352-AC6
-
AC6: 'Reply on EC1', Chaofu Wei, 14 Jun 2023
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