Impacts of land use patterns on soil thermal and physical properties in basement complex and sedimentary terrains of Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Soil thermal properties (STPs) are critical for managing soil thermal regions under different land uses. Therefore, this study focused on measuring field STPs and the physical properties of soils across various land use patterns (football pitch (FP), abattoir site (AS), dumpsite (DS), and cement brick making (CBM) in basement complex (Odeda) and cretaceous sedimentary formation (Sagamu) in Ogun State, Nigeria. The results revealed that the highest mean thermal conductivity values observed in the basement and sedimentary formations were 1.53 and 1.98 W/mK, recorded in DS and FP, respectively. In terms of specific heat capacity (CS), the maximum and minimum mean values of 3.93 and 1.49 MJ/mK were recorded in DS and BM within the basement complex lithology. Additionally, the highest and lowest thermal admittance ( ) values of 3.36 and 1.71 mm2/s, along with soil moisture contents (MC) of 51.08 % and 26.28 %, were observed in FP and BM, respectively, within the basement complex. However, the sedimentary area exhibited the opposite trend. The mean thermal resistivity (TR) values for FP, AS and CBM soils in the sedimentary formation, as well as for DS soil in the basement complex, were within the recommended threshold (90 0C cm/W) for safe telecommunication signals and buried objects. The results revealed that nearly all the soil thermal properties were considerably influenced by lithology and land management practices. The outcomes of this study will assist land users to make best select of suitable land management practices for sustainable agriculture and environmental preservation.