Research paperRole of environmental variables in the spatial distribution of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and C:N ratio from the northeastern coastal agroecosystems in China

- To develop a BRT model to quantify spatial relationship between SOC, TN contents and environmental variables;.
- To determine key environmental variables in the prediction of SOC and TN content;.
- To map the spatial distribution of SOC, TN and C:N ratio in Dalian City.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) influence physical, chemical and biological properties and process in soils that determine soil fertility and enhance or maintain agricultural productivity and food security. Knowledge on the spatial distribution of SOC and TN is necessary for sustainable soil resource management. In this study, we applied boosted regression trees (BRT) model to predict and map the spatial distribution of SOC and TN in the northeastern coastal areas of China, and C:N ratio map was generated from the predicted maps of SOC and TN. A total of 149 topsoil (0-20 cm) samples and 12 environmental variables that included topography, landuse and remote sensing indices, and climatic variables were selected. The performance of the models was evaluated based on cross-validation using mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R2). The BRT model was run for 100 iterations where the average of 100 SOC and TN maps was considered as final predicted maps and its standard deviation as prediction uncertainty. The BRT model showed a good predictive performance due to its higher R2 and lower MAE, and RMSE indices. The model explained approximately 64% and 56% of the total SOC and TN variability. Topographic variables showed a maximum influence in the prediction of SOC and TN, followed by vegetation and climate. The SOC and TN contents were reduced from the northwest towards the southeast of the study area; average predicted SOC and TN contents were 15.4 g kg−1 and 1.01 g kg−1, respectively. The spatial distribution of C:N ratio was closely related to landuse types in a decreasing order: woodland > orchard > cultivated land > grassland. We found topographic variables as main environmental indicators of SOC and TN distribution, and recommend to include them in future SOC and TN mapping studies in the coastal agroecosystems in China.