Analysis of soil chronosequence studies using reflectance spectroscopy

ABSTRACT

Chronosequences are effective tools for studying soil genesis and can be used to evaluate the rate and direction of soil changes. Traditional methods for determining soil pedogenic properties are expensive and time consuming. Soil reflectance spectroscopy is a rapid and inexpensive technique that can analyse many soil constituents simultaneously. However, it remains unclear whether this new technique can be used in chronosequence studies to examine and interpret pedogenic processes. The objectives of this study are to summarize the progress made in the study of soil chronosequences and the research on soil reflectance spectroscopy over the past few decades, and to discuss the feasibility of soil spectroscopy in chronosequence studies. This study has reviewed the changes over time of five soil pedogenic properties of a chronosequence, i.e. soil organic matter, iron oxide, clay minerals, particle size distribution, and calcium carbonate. These properties can be quantitatively estimated using soil spectroscopy, although not all of them have spectral features. These changing properties serve as a bridge linking soil pedogenic processes and reflectance spectroscopy, which makes it possible to analyse chronosequences using spectroscopy. This application will provide a new method for studying soil genesis.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their excellent comments and suggestions to improve the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 41201215].