Impacts of land use and its distance to coastline on soil salinity and alkalinity in the Yellow River Delta
Qu Leyang
Wu Lipeng
Guan Xiaoyan
Xu Zhenghe
Meng Zhanbo
Cong Xin
Liu Peicheng
Hao Aixin
Abstract：[Background and Objective]Soil salinity and alkalization are the main abiotic factors constraining agricultural production in the Yellow River Delta.Understanding its characteristics and the underlying mechanisms is essential for rational exploitation of this soil resource.This paper investigates the spatial distribution of soil salinization and alkalization and the impact of land use on it in this region.[Method]The study area was located in the north of the Yellow River Delta,in which 27 sampling points were established.For soil samples taken from each sampling point,we measured their electrical conductivity,pH,exchangeable cations and soil particle composition.[Result]Soil electrical conductivity increased with decreasing distance from the coastline,while soil pH showed strong spatial variability driven by land usage.The contents of exchangeable potassium and magnesium increased toward the coastline,and exchangeable sodium and calcium showed strong spatial heterogeneity.The electrical conductivity of cultivated land varied from 0.21 to 12.47 mS/cm,lower than that of wasteland(0.32 to 17.26 mS/cm).Soil pH in cultivated land varied from 7.43 to 9.35,higher than that in the wasteland(7.55 to 8.71).Silt accounted for 45.16%to 84.68%of soil composition in the area,followed by sand(7.17%to 48.94%)and clay(2.59%to 10.54%).Land use had a great impact on soil texture.Both clay and silt contents decreased from the inland toward the coastline,while sand content increased in the opposite direction.[Conclusion]Soil salinity in the Yellow River Delta is significantly influenced by location relative to the coastline and the Yellow River.Land use also affects soil salinization.Exchangeable K+and Mg2+contents increased toward the coastline,whereas Na+and Ca2+are largely controlled by land use.Soil texture showed strong spatial variation,with clay and silt contents decreasing from the inland to the coastline,while the sand content increased in the opposite direction.
Keywords：land use patternssalinization and alkalization characteristicssoil texture compositionYellow River Delta
Publication Date：2026-08-31
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 86-94 )