RESEARCH ARTICLE Transport characteristics of salt ions in soil columns planted with Tamarix chinensis under different groundwater levels 1,2 1 2 1,2 1 1 Ximei Zhao , Jiangbao XiaID *, Weifeng Chen , Yinping Chen , Ying Fang , Fanzhu Qu 1 Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for the Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China, 2 College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agriculture University, Tai'an, China *
[email protected] a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 Abstract a1111111111 The groundwater level is the main factor affecting the distribution of soil salinity and vegetation in the Yellow River Delta (YRD), China, but the response relationship between the spatial dis- tribution of soil salt ions and the groundwater level in the soil-Tamarix chinensis system remains unclear. In order to investigate the patterns of soil salt ions responding to groundwater OPEN ACCESS levels, in the `groundwater-soil-T. chinensis' system. Soil columns planted with T. chinensis, a Citation: Zhao X, Xia J, Chen W, Chen Y, Fang Y, constructive species in the YRD, were taken as the study object, and six groundwater levels Qu F (2019) Transport characteristics of salt ions in soil columns planted with Tamarix chinensis under (0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.5 and 1.8 m) were simulated under saline mineralization. The results dem- + - different groundwater levels. PLoS ONE 14(4): onstrated the following: As affected by groundwater, Na and Cl were the main ions in the e0215138. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. T. chinensis-planted soil column, with a trend of decreasing first and then increasing by the pone.0215138 + - increase of soil depth.