Characterization of soil water by the means of hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratio at dry-wet season under different soil layers in the dry-hot valley of Jinsha River

Abstract

The soil water was stratified sampling and analyzed with 0–100 cm by three plantation (Leucaena Benth Forest land, Dodonaea angustifolia Shrub land and Heteropogon contortus grassland) at the dry-hot Valley in Jinsha River, at June, September, December of 2016, which were to know about the variation and mechanism of soil water movement. The results showed that (1) soil water in different soil layers is significantly different, and the overall performance is shrub land (11.65%) > grassland (8.29%) > forest land (6.76%); (2) the δD isotope ratio of the soil water from all samples ranged from −146.359% to −54.628% and the δ18O isotope ratio ranged from −20.272% to −2.148%, and there is a good linear relationship between isotope ratios of soil water of three different soils; (3) there is a change with season: the intercept of the isotopes ratio at different months decreased in turn, June < September < December. While the shrub lands and grassland had the same pattern but slightly different, the isotope ratio of soil moisture in December was lower, and the intercepts of shrub land in September were significantly larger than in December; (4) there is a change in space: the total difference isotopes ratio of soil water is larger at the shallow soil layer and changed sharply at all positions of the forestland, while those in the shrub land and grassland changed became relatively weakly. This study provides the theoretical basis for the key problems of plant water using mechanism, ecological water demand, vegetation recovery and so on.

Keywords

• dry-hot valley
• soil water
• hydrogen and oxygen isotopes ratio