Soil Salinization and Mitigation Measures in Land Reclamation Regions

Abstract

Soil salinization and underground structure erosion usually occur in land reclamation regions, especially under semi‐humid climate that annual evaporation is larger than annual rainfall in Northern China. Based on investigations into the status and trends of land reclamation soil along the Bohai Rim, China, this chapter summarizes the evolution of groundwater system and soil environment and analyzes the main reasons contributing to these problems. Physical and mathematical models are established to simulate the mechanism of water‐salt migration in land reclamation regions. Results show that evapotranspiration and groundwater discharge during wet seasons are the main driving forces of status of soil salinization. It was pointed out that the key to soil salinity control in the reclamation region was by utilizing rainwater and flood resources to build a long‐term leaching mechanism. Meanwhile, in order to rebuild and maintain a healthy and stable ecosystem in the reclaimed areas, it is necessary to design the structure of soil layers in advance, enhance the salt leaching process and plant vegetation according to the local conditions.