Spatial heterogeneity and drivers of soil inorganic carbon fractions in loess-derived croplands of the former Yellow River Delta 

Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is increasingly recognized as a dynamic component of the terrestrial carbon cycle, yet its behavior in humid and semi-humid loess croplands remains poorly understood. We quantified SIC and its lithogenic (LIC) and pedogenic (PIC) fractions across 20 soil profiles (0-100 cm) in croplands of the former Yellow River Delta (FYRD), a coastal loessderived landscape shaped by historic Yellow River migrations. SIC stocks were dominated by inherited LIC (2–8 g kg⁻¹), while PIC remained smaller (