Characteristics of soil moisture storage from 1979 to 2017 in the karst area of China

Soil moisture restricts the ecological restoration in karst, but studies on soil moisture storage (SMS) in karst are lacking. Thus, this study analyzed the characteristics of SMS in the karst area of China (K) and revealed the relationships of SMS with its influencing factors. The main results are as follows: (1) Average SMS in K is higher than that in the non-karst area (N). However, when SMS is below the thresholds 12 mm (0-7 cm) and 563.6 mm (0-289 cm), SMS in K is lower than that in N. (2) SMS in K experienced a decreasing trend in 1979-2017. (3) SMSs of K and N increase with precipitation class, but the SMS in K is more sensitive to precipitation. (4) SMSs of Agriculture and Forest landcovers in K significantly reduced in 1979-2017. Overall, the SMSs in K are high, but the soil water is easily lost due to serious soil erosion