Abstract:

The prevention and control of soil salinization are crucial for promoting global green and sustainable development. They play a vital role in maintaining ecological security in extremely arid regions and achieving high-quality development. This study investigates desert and farmland soils in the Ejina Oasis， Inner Mongolia. Through a combination of stratified sampling， geostatistics， and mathematical statistics， we systematically revealed the spatial differentiation patterns of soil moisture and salinity in this fragile oasis ecosystem and identified their driving factors. The results indicate significant spatial heterogeneity in soil moisture and salinity across the Ejina Oasis. At the regional scale， soil moisture variability is primarily influenced by agricultural activities. Desert soils generally exhibit low moisture content and limited spatial variation， whereas farmland soils show higher moisture levels. Soil salinity is mainly concentrated in the desert areas surrounding Dalaihubu Town and Subonaor Sumu， while farmland soils generally have lower salinity. At the soil profile scale， soil moisture increases with depth， whereas salinity decreases， with a clear surface accumulation of salts. The dominant salt ions are Na⁺， Cl⁻， and SO₄²⁻， whose spatial variability increases from the central low-salinity areas toward the southwest and northeast margins. Soil moisture and bulk density are the primary factors influencing salinity distribution. Specifically， soil moisture is significantly positively correlated with SO₄²⁻ （P<0.05），while bulk density is significantly negatively correlated with most salt ions except Na⁺ and Cl⁻ （P<0.05）.

Key words: Ejina Oasis, soil moisture and salinity, salt ions, spatial heterogeneity