Quantifying spatial variability of selected soil trace elements and their scaling relationships using multifractal...

Area of Science:

• Soil Science
• Geochemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Understanding soil trace element spatial variability is crucial for agricultural management.
• Trace elements like iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) play vital roles in soil health and plant nutrition.
• Patchy or uniform distribution of these elements impacts nutrient availability and potential deficiencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the spatial variability and scaling relationships of available Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn in an agricultural field.
• To assess the distribution patterns and interrelationships of these essential soil trace elements using multifractal techniques.
• To explore the applicability of multifractal parameters in characterizing soil trace element behavior.

Main Methods:

• Collected 1024 soil samples from a 10.24-ha agricultural field in northeast China.
• Measured available Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn concentrations in each soil sample.
• Applied single and joint multifractal spectral analyses to quantify spatial variability and scaling relationships.

Main Results:

• Available Fe, Cu, and Zn exhibited high spatial variability and anomalies, while Mn showed a uniform distribution.
• Strong positive correlations were found among Fe, Cu, and Zn across various scales.
• Mn displayed weak relationships with Fe and Zn, and no significant relationship with Cu.

Conclusions:

• Multifractal parameters effectively characterize the variability and singularities of soil trace elements and their scaling relationships.
• The distinct spatial patterns of Fe, Cu, and Zn suggest common controlling factors, unlike Mn.
• Findings can inform predictive modeling of soil trace elements at larger scales using GIS.