Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of pedogenic carbonates in soils provide a useful proxy indicator for inferring paleoclimatology and paleoclimate, and the composition of stable oxygen and carbon isotopes depend on the composition of oxygen isotope in meteoric water and the carbon isotopic composition in soil CO₂ respectively. The soil CO₂ is controlled by the mineralization of organic matters, the respiration of plant roots as well as atmosphere CO₂. So in soils at certain depth, the δ¹³C value in pedogenic carbonates is determined by the local assemblage (e.g. C₃ plant and C₄ plant, etc.). The pre-treatments to remove inherited carbonates and organic matters from pedogenic carbonates are particularly important. The geochemistry of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of pedogenic carbonates has applied extensively in studies of discrimination of inherited carbonates from secondary carbonates, the reconstruction of paleo-hydrological features, paleoclimatology and paleoecology as well as global change.
    However, a few problems limit the application of the carbon and oxygen isotopic interpretation, e.g. the credibility of interpretation carbon and oxygen isotopic features relying on the date of pedogenic carbonates, the effect diagenesis on oxygen isotopic composition of buried paleosols, separating pedogenic carbonates from inherited carbonates for the comprehensive coalition and polygenesis of carbonates, etc.
    Nevertheless, for the boundary of C₃/C₄ plant ecotone can be inferred and the paleo-hydrological features and formation of paleosols may be guessed by use of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of pedogenic carbonates other than analysis of pollen in lacustrine and marsh sediments, therefore, interpreting paleo-environmental and paleoecological information will be applied intensively and extensively utilizing stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of pedogenic carbonates with the development of relevant branches of sciences.