Spatial distribution and driving factors of soil organic carbon in the Northeast China Plain: Insights from latest monitoring data

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a critical component of soil fertility and plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Despite the widespread reports of a decrease in SOC content and stock in the Northeast China Plain in recent decades, the current status and driving factors of its content and distribution are unclear. In this study, the surface soil (0–20 cm) SOC content data of 1920 sampling points within the Northeast China Plain covering an area of 2.6 × 105 km2 were obtained based on the Land Quality Geochemical Monitoring Network established in 2018. Random forest model and correlation analysis were used to identify the main driving factors of SOC distribution. The results showed that the SOC content, soil organic carbon density (SOCD), and soil organic carbon storage (SOCS) in the Northeast China Plain were 13.48 g·kg−1, 3.45 kg·C·m−2, and 898.95 Tg, respectively. SOC content in paddy land was the highest among different land use types, which reached 18.77 g·kg−1. SOC content showed strong spatial dependence and gradually increased from southwest to northeast in the monitoring area. The results of the random forest analysis showed that the SiO2, mean annual temperature, and Fe2O3 explained 39.4 %, 18.9 %, and 12.8 % of the spatial variation of SOC, respectively. Although the SOCS (0–20 cm) in the Northeast China Plain has decreased by 8.68 % in the last 40 years compared to the Second National Soil Survey (1980), it's important to note that the SOCS has transitioned from a decreasing trend between 1980 and 2006 to an increasing trend from 2006 to 2018.This study provides important information for decision-makers on the spatiotemporal changes of SOC and its driving factors in the Northeast China Plain, which has a great significance for soil carbon sequestration and the development of management strategies to maintain soil fertility.