Spatial distribution of soil carbon and nitrogen in urban greenspace of Beijing

Urbanized land cover and urban populations in China both have increased markedly since 1980s. The rapid and massive urbanization has resulted in widespread ecological and environmental consequences from local to regional and national scales. In this study, we collected 490 top-soil samples (0-20cm) from different types of green space in urban and suburban area within the sixth-ring road range of Beijing, China. We analyzed concentration and density of soil organic carbon (SOC), inorganic carbon (SIC), total carbon (TC), and total nitrogen (TN), in order to explore the characteristics of the spatial distribution of carbon and nitrogen in the top layer of urban soils. No significant differences in soil TN were found between land cover types or between urban and suburban sites. But TN and C/N tended to decrease along the urban-rural gradient. Further studies are needed to clarify the effects of urbanization on soil nitrogen in the Beijing region.