Dynamics of soil sealing and soil landscape patterns under rapid urbanization

• Global rapid urbanization resulted in considerable soil sealing.
• Paddy soils of the highest quality were the most vulnerable to be sealed.
• Quantitative changes of soil landscapes under urbanization were identified.
• A framework was proposed to monitor impacts of urbanization on soil resources.

Dynamics of soil sealing and soil landscape patterns under rapid urbanization were qualified in the Urban Agglomeration around Hangzhou Bay (UAHB), China. Rapid population growth, economic development, and settlement sprawl were identified from 1994 to 2009. Such accelerating urbanization resulted in considerable soil sealing. For the entire region, percentage of sealed soils increased from 2.7% in 1994 to 4.7% in 2003 and to 8.7% in 2009. Paddy soils, especially those of the highest quality, were the first victims. Soil landscapes, at the regional scale, became more fragmented and irregular, but less dominated, diverse and connected as urbanization intensified. Spatial regression uncovered the diverging relationships between landscape metrics with urbanization indicators and measurement period. The dynamics of soil sealing and soil landscape patterns not only reflected common tendencies in China, but represented a global process. Our study provided a practical methodological framework, by integrating remote sensing, geographical information systems, landscape metrics and spatial regression, for monitoring the impacts of urbanization on soil resources.