Soil Carbon and Nutrient Losses Induced by Water Erosion: Concentrations, Fluxes, and Stoichiometric Relationships

Dear Colleagues,

Soil carbon and nutrient losses due to water erosion represent a critical component of terrestrial biogeochemical cycling, significantly diminishing soil fertility, agricultural productivity, and overall ecosystem functioning. The selective break-up and mobilization of soil aggregates, as well as the varied intensities of element exchange and leaching between water and soil during erosion processes, collectively influence the concentrations, fluxes, and stoichiometric relationships of carbon and nutrients in eroded sediments and runoff through distinct hydrological flow paths, such as surface and subsurface runoff. These complex processes not only degrade soil quality but also result in considerable off-site exports of soil carbon and nutrients, negatively affecting aquatic ecosystems and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the concentrations, fluxes, and stoichiometric relationships between carbon and nutrients under intensified climate change and anthropogenic disturbances is crucial for improving erosion-driven biogeochemical models and formulating effective soil conservation strategies. This Special Issue welcomes the submission of contributions based on field experiments, laboratory simulations, and modeling approaches that aim at quantifying water erosion-induced carbon and nutrient losses, including their concentrations, fluxes, and stoichiometric coupling relationships. Studies evaluating the efficacy of mitigation measures will also be considered alongside those that integrate multi-scale (plot, slope, and watershed) analyses, isotope tracing techniques, and model simulations, in particular, to elucidate the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of erosion-induced carbon and nutrient losses.

Dr. Tianyang Li
Dr. Ke Liang
Guest Editors

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