Name
Effects of soil moisture and winter hydrologic processes on soil phosphorous accumulation and loss in canola croplands of cold-region watersheds
Date & Time
Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Description
Global studies highlight rising phosphorus (P) depletion, affecting soil health, crop yields, and
carbon emissions, while field studies emphasize P accumulation and legacy effects driving
downstream pollution. However, how various natural and anthropogenic factors shape soil P
availability at the watershed scale, especially in cold-climate agricultural breadbaskets, remains
unclear. This study applied a process-based model to a large agricultural watershed in western
Canada and simulated biogeochemical, hydrological, and crop growth processes, to assess
influence of soil moisture, soil temperature, and snowmelt on spatiotemporal soil P dynamics. The model was calibrated and validated against canola crop yield, streamflow, soil temperature, and soil P for 1990-2016. Analyses revealed three distinct patterns of soil P trends across regions: increasing, declining, and stationary. Despite similar fertilizer rates, differences in long-term soil P trends were primarily driven by soil moisture availability. Soil moisture-limited regions exhibited soil P accumulation due to constrained plant uptake, whereas moisture-sufficient counties showed net P depletion or equilibrium through enhanced crop uptake. Climate-driven shifts, including earlier (~2 weeks) and more frequent snowmelt, along with increased soil temperature phase-change cycles,
enhanced winter P mobilization via mineralization and potential freeze-thaw processes but were
insufficient to offset accumulation driven by moisture-limited growing-season uptake. Overall, the interplay of soil moisture, soil temperature, and snowmelt in canola cropping systems suggests that growing-season, moisture-driven plant P uptake dominates long-term soil P trends, whereas winter processes are secondary.
Location Name
McCain - 2017
Full Address
Dalhousie University
Halifax NS
Canada
Halifax NS
Canada
Session Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract ID
149
Speaker Organization
University of Alberta
Session Name
H10
Co-authors
Junyu Qi 2 , Symon Mezbahuddin 3,4 , Miles Dyck 4 , Derek MacKenzie 4 ,
Monireh Faramarzi 1,*
1 Watershed Science and Modelling Laboratory, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
2 Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, 5825
University Research Ct, College Park, MD 20740, USA
3 International Trade Division, Alberta Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration,
Edmonton, AB, Canada
4 Department of Renewable Resources, Faculty of Agricultural Life and Environmental
Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3 Canada.
Presenting Author
Yinlong Huang