Contrasting Shallow Soil-Moisture Dynamics Between Microtopographic and Flat Reclamation Areas in a Cold-Arid Abandoned Quarry: A One-Year Field Case Study

Water scarcity strongly constrains the revegetation of disturbed mine substrates in cold-arid regions. This study compared soil-moisture dynamics between a microtopographic reclamation area and an adjacent flat reclamation area in an abandoned stone quarry within the Kalamaili Ungulate Nature Reserve, northwestern China. The integrated restoration treatment, established in 2018, combined linear trenches 30–40 cm deep and spaced 60 cm apart, native seed sowing, transferred seed-bank topsoil, and water-retaining material. From January to December 2024, sensor-derived apparent volumetric water content was monitored at five depths—0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm—at 10 min intervals using sensors operated with the manufacturer’s standard calibration. Following quality control and temporal synchronization, 41,475 valid timestamps were retained for each monitored profile. The study provides a continuous full-year, multi-depth record from an unirrigated, cold-arid reconstructed quarry substrate, a setting that remains underrepresented in previous micro-catchment and dryland-restoration research. However, this study is based on a single hydrological year and does not directly measure plant physiological responses or long-term restoration outcomes. Therefore, elevated soil moisture should be interpreted as a preliminary indicator of restoration potential rather than a definitive measure of ecological recovery success. The monitored microtopographic profile maintained higher mean apparent water content than the flat profile during most of the year. The largest annual relative profile difference occurred at 10–20 cm depth, reaching 18.0%, followed by 11.7% at 0–10 cm, whereas differences decreased below 20 cm and reached 1.9% at 40–50 cm. During selected rainfall and probable snowmelt periods, the microtopographic profile exhibited larger wetting responses and slower post-event recession. These patterns indicate contrasting upper-profile wetting and drying dynamics between the two monitored reclamation configurations. However, runoff, infiltration, evaporation, snow accumulation, soil-water potential, and vegetation responses were not measured directly. Moreover, monitoring began several years after vegetation establishment, and trenching, seed addition, seed-bank transfer, and water-retaining material were not evaluated independently. The findings should therefore be interpreted as a site-specific post-establishment comparison rather than evidence of the isolated effect of microtopography. Replicated, multi-year studies are required to determine the mechanisms, effectiveness, and broader transferability of this integrated reclamation configuration.