An ecological study of soils in the highlands of western Tibet II. Vertical change from 3900 m to 5450 m in elevation |
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Authors: | Goro Iwatsubo Xilan Zheng Tsunahide Shidei |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Forestry, Kyoto University, 606 Kyoto, Japan;(2) Institute of Geology, Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 634, Beijing, China |
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Abstract: | Two kinds of soil study were carried out in the south-western Tibet region of China. Changes in soil properties with elevation
were examined from the snout of a glacier at 5450 m above sea level down to a village (Burang) at 3900 m. The area close to
the glacier was devoid of vegetation, probably because of the coldness. With a decrease in elevation, the landscape changed
from desert to sparseArtemisia steppe, and below 4750 m, to a thorn-bush steppe dominated byCaragana spp. which continued down to the village (where the annual precipitation was 169 mm). Organic C, total N and cation exchange
capacity (CEC) all increased with decreasing elevation down to 4700 m due to the increase in warmth, but the parameters decreased
below 4700 m, reflecting the increase in aridity. Almost no carbonate was detected in areas above 4700 m, but below this elevation
it increased exponentially, also reflecting the increase of aridity. Available P tended to decrease with both the decrease
in elevation and the increase in carbonate.
The vertical distribution of soil parameters was investigated in the soil profiles of dry and wet plots at 4700 m. Organic
C, total N, and CEC decreased with increasing soil depth. Their values were higher in the dry plot than in the wet plot. In
the dry plot, carbonate increased with depth. Total P was found to be similar in both the wet and dry plots, but there was
less available P in the soil of the dry plot, reflecting the abundance of calcium carbonate. |
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Keywords: | Aridity Carbonate Elevation Himalayan soils Nutrients Tibet |
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