Factors contributing to soil acidification in the past two decades in China

Soil acidification has become a major global issue, and it is important to study the causes and mechanisms of soil pH changes. This study detected soil pH changes in data collected from 1162 papers published during 1996-2000 and 2016-2020 in China, and it discussed the influencing factors on soil pH changes using Geodetector. The results showed that 58.4% of the collected data pairs were significantly acidified. Alfisols, desert soils, primarosols, semi-aqueous soils and aqueous soils were significantly acidified, while other types of soil did not change significantly. Soil pH on construction land decreased in units of 0.39 and on cultivated land decreased by 0.12, but soil pH changes in forest land and grassland were not significant. Nitrogen deposition, the amount of precipitation, sulphur deposition, temperature and vegetation planted in the soil had a great effect on soil acidification. This study provided a scientific reference for clarifying soil pH changes and made suggestions for subsequent soil remediation.

Automated summary

Soil acidification is a major global issue. This study examined soil pH changes in data from 1162 papers published in China between 1996-2000 and 2016-2020, using Geodetector to analyze the influencing factors. The results showed that 58.4% of the collected data pairs exhibited significant acidification. Certain soil types, such as Alfisols, desert soils, primarosols, semi-aqueous soils, and aqueous soils, experienced significant acidification. Soil pH decreased by 0.39 on construction land and 0.12 on cultivated land, while forest land and grassland did not show significant pH changes. Nitrogen deposition, precipitation, sulphur deposition, temperature, and vegetation planted in the soil were found to have a significant impact on soil acidification. This study provides important scientific insights into soil pH changes and offers suggestions for soil remediation measures.