Spatial Heterogeneity in the Properties of High-Moor Peat Soils under Local Pyrogenesis in Northeastern Sakhalin

The structure and properties of oligotrophic peat, oligotrophic peat gley, and pyrogenic oligotrophic peat soils identified on a plot 0.5 km² in area in the northeast of Sakhalin Island have been studied. The vertical distributions of physicochemical, chemical, and ecotoxicological parameters in the profiles of some bog soil groups have been considered. An increase in ash content, a less acid reaction, and a deficit of available nitrogen and potassium have been revealed in the upper horizons of pyrogenic soils. No accumulation of mobile heavy metals is manifested in the pyrogenic horizons of peat soils. Statistical parameters of the spatial variation in pH_KCl and total acidity, as well as the contents of ash, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, mobile heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb), and benzo[a]pyrene, have been calculated for the moss and sublitter horizons. The variation coefficients are 30–100% for most of the studied parameters and reach 100–200% for available phosphorus; ammonium nitrogen; and mobile Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd. An increase in the content of benzo[a]pyrene, although without MPC exceedance, is noted in the moss of pyrogenic soils and the peat horizons untouched by fires.     

Distributions of Heavy Metals and Benzo[<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis>]pyrene in Oligotrophic Peat Soils and Peat Gleyzems of Northeastern Sakhalin

The contents and profile distributions of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, and benzo[a]pyrene in oligotrophic peat soils, oligotrophic peat gley soils (Dystric Fibric Histosols), humus-impregnated peat gleyzems (Dystric Histic Gleysols), and mucky gleyzems (Dystric Gleysols) have been analyzed with consideration for their degree of oligotrophicity and anthropogenic loads. Horizons with the accumulation (O, Tpyr, TT) and removal (Ghi,e) of heavy metals have been revealed. The increase in the content of heavy metals and benzo[a]pyrene in the upper layer of oligotrophic peat soils under technogenic fallouts in the impact zone of flare and motor transport has been considered. Statistical parameters of the spatial variation of parameters in organic and gley horizons have been calculated. The variation coefficients of pollutant elements (Pb and Zn) in the surface horizons of soils increase to 100–125%. Positive correlations revealed between the content of some heavy metals in litter indicate their bioaccumulation and possible joint input with aerotechnogenic fallouts. No correlations are found between the contents of benzo[a]pyrene and heavy metals, but a reliable negative correlation with the ash content is noted in the peat horizon.     

Soils of the Southwestern Part of the Pacific Coast of Russia

The diversity of soils in the southwestern part of the Pacific coast of Russia (Primorie region) is discussed. Overall, 17 soil types belonging to 8 soil orders have been described in this region, and their morphology and properties have been studied. The diversity of plant communities, geomorphic conditions, and parent materials and relatively mild (as compared with other parts of the Far East region of Russia) specify the great variability of soil cover patterns. Low sea terraces are occupied by various peat, organo-accumulative, and gley soils; poorly drained medium-high terraces are the areas of various dark-humus and darkhumus gleyed soils. Typical and gleyic dark-humus podbels, dark-humus, and dark-humus gleyed soils formed on the high sea terraces. Residual elevations are occupied by brown forest (burozemic) soils, including typical burozems, dark-humus burozems, and gleyic dark-humus burozems and by dark-humus podbels. Various alluvial, gleyic gray-humus, and mucky gley soils are developed on riverine plains. On general, darkhumus soils with the high (>10%) humus content predominate; the area of dark-humus podbels us estimated at about 20%, and the area of dark-humus burozems is about 12%. All the soils in this region are specified by increased acidity values. The exchangeable sodium content is often high in the upper soil horizons with maximum values (0.71–1.19 cmol(c)/kg) in the peat gleyzems, peaty dark-humus soils, mucky-gley soils, and eutrophic peat soils of sea terraces. The grouping of the soils with respect to their physicochemical and agrochemical properties is suggested.     

Marsh soils of the Karelian shore of the White Sea

This paper studies marsh soils on the Karelian shore of the White Sea. The soil cover has been found to differ on shores of the open, closed, and transitional types. The open shores have mainly marsh primitive and soddy soils. In bays, there are marsh soddy gley and dredged peat gley soils, and the transitional shores have marsh peaty soils. All soils have poorly developed profiles, and their reaction is close to neutral. Organic and organic-mineral layers form depending on the position of a soil above sea level: a sod layer forms in uplands, and peaty and mud layers form in depressions, which are regularly flooded and have a high groundwater level.     

Oil hydrocarbon migration in soils of the northeast of Sakhalin Island

The results of vertical and lateral intrasoil migration of oil hydrocarbons (OHCs) in podzolic, techno-podzolic, brown forest, alluvial meadow-bog, and peat gley soils of Sakhalin Island are presented in this article. An estimation of the spatial distribution of oil hydrocarbons on the surface of oil spills, industrial sites, and natural discharges of oil is made. The factors influencing the structure of contamination halos and migration intensity of oil hydrocarbons in soils are considered.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in pyrogenic soils of swampy landscapes of the Meshchera lowland

The composition and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied in organomineral and organic soils of the Meshchera National Park. It was found that the background oligotrophic peat soils unaffected by fires in central parts of the bogs are characterized by the increased PAH concentrations due to their high sorption capacity. The fires of 2007 and 2010 resulted in the transformation of the plant cover and soil morphology, the formation of new horizons, and the change in the PAHs content and composition. Significant burn-off of organic matter was found in oligotrophic-eutrophic soils and resulted in the decrease of PAHs content after fire. Only partial burn-off of organic horizons and intense formation of PAHs were recorded in the soil with initially great thickness of peat horizons. Pyrogenic accumulation of PAHs was identified in organomineral soils of the marginal parts of bogs and of forest sites.     

Microbial transformation of nitrogen compounds in soils of the southern taiga

The intensity of the processes of nitrogen mineralization, fixation, and denitrification was assessed in the high-moor peat gley, white-podzolic, pale-podzolic, burozem, low-moor peat, and soddy-gley soils of the Central Forest Biosphere Reserve (CFBR). The actual and potential activities of the nitrogen fixation and denitrification were determined using the gas-chromatographic method, and the intensity of the ammonification was determined using ion-selective electrodes. The maximum intensity of the nitrogen fixation was observed in the low-moor peat and soddy-gley soils, which are characterized by a high content of organic matter. High denitrification activity was found in the low-moor peat soil (0.31 nmol N₂O/g per h); this was determined by the excessive moistening of this soil. The processes of organic nitrogen mineralization were the most intensive in the upper (L and F) subhorizons of the litter.     

The importance of mycological studies for soil quality control

Published and original data obtained in the course of long-term studies of mycobiota of several soil types in regions with different pollution levels and composition of the pollutants (Tver, Moscow, and Samara oblasts; West Siberia; and the Komi Republic) are analyzed. The expediency of using mycological characteristics for soil quality control and estimation of the toxic impact on the environment is discussed. The most pollutant-sensitive mycological characteristics were determined for the following soils: oligotrophic peat gley, eutrophic peat, whitish podzolic, Al-Fe-humus podzol, soddy pale podzolic, soddy-podzolic, and brown forest soils. These are (a) the structure of the fungal biomass, (b) the taxonomic diversity of the fungi, and (c) the percentage of melanized forms of micromycetes. At the same time, the total number of fungi (in colony-forming units) and the indices of the richness of individual species and genera proved to be poorly informative for assessing the ecological status of the soils. Criteria for the choice of mycobiotic parameters suitable for scaling the soil ecological quality are suggested.     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Emission and Organic Carbon Pools in Soils of the Northern Taiga Ecosystems of Western Siberia under Different Geocryological Conditions

Statistical analysis of a vast body of data collected during five field seasons (2011–2015) was performed to characterize the biological activity of soils in the northern taiga ecosystems of Western Siberia. Automorphic forest soils, hydromorphic (oligotrophic bog) soils, and semihydromorphic (flat-topped and large peat mounds) soils were characterized. Statistically significant differences of average levels of CO₂ emission from the soils were identified at the ecosystem level. The CO₂ emission from podzols of automorphic forest ecosystems at the peak of the growing season (205 ± 30 to 410 ± 40 mg CO₂/(m² h)) was significantly higher than the emission from semihydromorphic soils of peat mounds (70 ± 20 to 116 ± 10 mg CO₂/(m² h)). The presence and depth of permafrost was a significant factor that affected ecosystem diversity and biological activity of northern taiga soils. Statistically significant differences in the total, labile, and microbial carbon pools were observed for the studied soils. Labile and microbial carbon pools in the organic layer (10 cm) of forest podzols amounted to 0.19 and 0.66 t/ha, respectively; those in the organic layer (40 cm) of peat cryozems of flat-topped peat mounds reached 1.24 and 3.20 t/ha, and those in the oligotrophic peat soils (50 cm) of large peat mounds were 2.76 and 1.35 t/ha, respectively. The portion of microbial carbon in the total carbon pool (C_micr/C_tot, %) varied significantly; according to the values of this index, the soils were arranged into the following sequence: oligotrophic peat soil < peat cryozem < podzol.     

Assessing the Efficiency of Humic Substances as Washing Agents for Oil–Contaminated Soils and Peats under Model Experimental Conditions

Two humic preparations of different origins have been compared as washing agents for oil-contaminated soils and peat under model experimental conditions using a sample from the plow horizon of soddypodzolic soil artificially contaminated with oil or diesel fuel and a sample of high-moor peat contaminated with crude oil because of a spill occurred 15 years ago. Soil and peat were washed by shaking with solutions of the humic preparations Gumat Sakhalinskii and Lignogumat in a 1: 10 (m/v) ratio. Control samples were washed with distilled water. Washing with a synthetic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) was also added to the experimental design. After washing, soil and peat samples were air-dried and used for the determination of the total content of petroleum hydrocarbons; the characterization of their hydrocarbon composition; and the assessment of hydrophobicity from the contact angle and the efficiency of colonization by oil-destructing microorganisms Rhodococcus sp. and Candida sp., which are components of the preparation Bioros recommended for oil contaminations. It has been shown that the extraction efficiency of petroleum hydrocarbons by humic preparations did not differ from the extraction efficiency by water and was less than that by sodium dodecyl sulfate in all cases. No appreciable changes in the contact angles of soil and peat have been observed at the use of water and humic preparations as washing agents, while the contact angle decreased to less than 90o after washing with sodium dodecyl sulfate, which indicated the hydrophobicity of the surface of substrate particles. It has been found that humic preparations favor the colonization of soil and peat by oil-destructing microorganisms Rhodococcus sp. and Candida sp. Based on the obtained results, humic preparations have been recommended for further study as preparations favoring the ability of oil-destructing microorganisms to colonize oil-contaminated substrates.     

Hydrophysical Properties of the High-Ash Lowmoor Peat Soils

The water retention curve (WRC), density, botanical composition, and ash contents were determined for high-ash lowmoor peat soils (Rheic Sapric Histosols) developing on the floodplain of the Yakhroma River (Moscow oblast) from the herb–hypnum and hypnum peat enriched in carbonates, agromineral peat soils (Rheic Drainic Sapric Histosols (Mineralic)), and peat soils developed from woody peat underlain by herb, sedge, and woody peat layers (Rheic Sapric Histosols (Lignic)). The WRC was determined by capillarimetric method in the range of water pressure from 0 to 80–90 кPa. For the studied peat soils, the WRC represents a close to linear dependence of the water content on the water pressure in semilogarithmic scale. In contrast to mineral soils, a characteristic point of the air-entry pressure is virtually absent on the WRC of peat soils. The WRC of peat largely depended on their density: denser peat samples were characterized by a higher water content at the same water pressure, which attests to the increased water retention capacity. An increase in the degree of decomposition of peat and its ash content also leads to the rise in the water retention capacity, but the effect of these factors is considerably smaller than the effect of peat density.     

New classification systems for tropical organic-rich deposits based on studies of the Tasek Bera Basin,Malaysia

Most schemes in common use for field and laboratory classification of peats were developed in boreal and humid temperate regions and do not recognize the distinctive features and specific uses of tropical peats, such as those of the Tasek Bera Basin in tropical Peninsular Malaysia. The important aspects of peat texture (morphology of constituents and their arrangement) and laboratory ash content (residue after ignition) need modification to be valuable for classifying these and other tropical peat deposits. In the Tasek Bera Basin, most of the deposits would not be considered as peat according to some classification schemes, even though most have C contents >25%. We propose a new three-group (fibric, hemic, sapric) field texture classification applicable to tropical organic deposits, which is similar to the system of the US Soil Taxonomy. The classification is based on the following factors: (1) visual examination of the morphology of the peat constituents (texture); and (2) estimates of fiber content and matrix (finest fraction of peat consisting of highly humified organic matter and inorganic material). The classification is applicable to all organic deposits with <65% ash (i.e., >35% loss on ignition). We also present a new laboratory classification of organic soils based on ash and C content. The US Soil Taxonomy classifies organic soils as having more than 12–18% organic C, depending on clay content. Ash content and these limits for organic soils allow the discrimination of four main groups: peat, muck, organic-rich soil/sediment and mineral soil/sediment. Peat is defined as having an ash content of 0–55%, muck 55–65%, organic-rich soil/sediment 65–80% and mineral soil/sediment 80–100%. The peat class is further subdivided into very low ash (0–5%), low ash (5–15%), medium ash (15–25%), high ash (25–40%) and very high ash (40–55%) subclasses.     

Torfeigenschaften und ungesättigte hydraulische Leitfähigkeit von Moorböden

Peat properties and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of peat soils . Drainage of organic soils is closely connected with water supply of plants by the capillary fringe of the groundwater. Unsaturated flow of water was measured by the double-membrane apparatus described by Vetterlein, which was modified for experiments with undisturbed peat samples. The influence of decomposition, nature of peat, ash content, bulk density (consolidation) and flux direction on unsaturated flow of water in peat soils was determined. The correlation to unsaturated water conductivity decreased in the sequence: decomposition, flux direction, ash content, bulk density. A dependence on bulk density exists only below pF 2.     

Factors causing temporal and spatial variation in heterotrophic and rhizospheric components of soil respiration in afforested organic soil croplands in Finland

Partitioning soil respiration (SR) into its components, heterotrophic and rhizospheric respiration, is an important step for understanding and modelling carbon (C) cycling in organic soils. However, no partitioning studies on afforested organic soil croplands exist. We separated soil respiration originating from the decomposition of peat (SR_P), and aboveground litter (SR_L) and root respiration (SR_R) in six afforested organic soil croplands in Finland with varying tree species and stand ages using the trenching method. Across the sites temporal variation in SR was primarily related to changes in soil surface temperature (?5 cm), which explained 71–96% of variation in SR rates. Decomposition of peat and litter was not related to changes in water table level, whereas a minor increase in root respiration was observed with the increase in water table depth. Temperature sensitivity of SR varied between the different respiration components: SR_P was less sensitive to changes in soil surface temperature than SR_L or SR_R. Factors explaining spatial variation in SR differed between different respiration components. Annual SR_P correlated positively with peat ash content while that of SR_L was found to correlate positively with the amount of litter on the forest floor, separately for each tree species. Root respiration correlated positively with the biomass of ground vegetation. From the total soil respiration peat decomposition comprised a major share of 42%; the proportion of autotrophic respiration being 41% and aboveground litter 17%. Afforestation lowered peat decomposition rates. Nevertheless the effect of agricultural history can be seen in peat properties for decades and due to high peat decomposition rates these soils still loose carbon to the atmosphere.     

Nutritional Environment of Tropical Peat Soils in Sarawak,Malaysia Based on Soil Solution Composition

It has been considered that natural peat soils and swamp forest ecosystems in the tropics are quite oligotrophic. This concept seems to be related to the low mineral contents in the soil solid phase of the peat soils. However, some nutritional elements such as K, Mg, Ca, and/or P may be abundant in the soil solution phase and could easily migrate in peat soils. In order to analyze the nutritional environment of peat soils, chemical composition of the soil solid phase and soil solution was compared.

This study was carried out in Naman Forest Reserve, Sibu and in/around Sg. Talau Peat Research Station, Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia. In both areas, each of the three study sites with a different depth of underlying mineral layer was selected for sampling of soil and soil solution. All the soils studied except for one shallow peat profile were classified into Oligotrophic peat based on Fleischer’s criteria. The soil solution collected monthly showed the following characteristics in its composition.

1. Concentrations of Al, Si, and Fe were higher in the soil solution from the shallow peat than in that from the deep peat, reflecting the effect of underlying mineral layers on the soil solution composition.

2. Concentrations of Na, Mg, and Cl in the soil solution and Na and Mg contents in the soil solid phase reflected the distance from the sea. In the Naman series, accumulation of K and Ca in the soil solution was larger in the surface layer in the deep peat than in the shallow peat, though such clear trend was not observed for the K content in the soil solid phase.

3. The concentrations of N and P were fairly high in the soil solution in all the profiles except for P in the profile near the center of the peat dome. Dissolved P consisted mostly of ortho-phosphate, whereas a larger part of N was in the organic form.

4. At the Sago plantation farm on deep peat, depletion of K and P was observed during the rainy season. Such instability in the concentrations in the soil solution was attributed to forest clear-cutting and subsequent disturbance of nutrient cycling.

In general, the concentrations of N, P, K, and Ca in the soil solution were not low even in the Oligotrophic peat. However, in taking account of the fact that the peat soils showed low mineral contents in the available forms and that the bulk density was also quite low, the potential capacity to supply K, Ca, and/ or P was not necessarily high in spite of the apparent high intensity observed for the soil solution composition. Therefore, from the viewpoint of nutrient dynamics, the potential for the use of reclaimed peat land was considered to be rather limited especially under low input management.     

Water and oxygen regimes under conifer plantations and native vegetation on upland peaty gley soil and deep peat soils

Concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide were measured in an upland peaty gley soil during two growing seasons and a deep peat during one season. Measurements were compared with the soil water regimes on both soils. Comparison was also made between planted areas of Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine, and areas of the native vegetation (Molinia grassland on the peaty gley, and Calluna heath on the deep peat). In 13 m tall pure stands of the pine and spruce on the peaty gley soil about 28% of the rainfall was intercepted by the canopy and evaporated without reaching the soil, and the watertable was deeper and matric potentials were lower than under grass. When the matric potential fell below ?5 kPa in the upper soil layers, high oxygen concentrations prevailed. In undisturbed peat, waterlogged conditions produced an anaerobic regime virtually to the surface, but a 1 m deep drainage ditch lowered the watertable and created an aerobic regime within the top 0.3 m of peat. The presence of tree crops on drained plots increased the depth of drying during the summer months, and aerobic conditions reached 0.4 m depth under Sitka spruce and 0.5m under Lodgepole pine. On the peaty gley also, Lodgepole pine dried and aerated the soil to a greater depth than Sitka spruce during the summer, but no difference in water regime was evident in the winter.     

尕海湿地泥炭土土壤理化性质

泥炭是一种宝贵的自然资源,同时也是重要的生态资源,尕海湿地的泥炭土在涵养水源、储存碳汇方面有着举足轻重的作用。研究采用野外调查与室内分析相结合的方法,对尕海湿地泥炭土土壤的理化性质进行测定。结果表明:尕海湿地泥炭土的平均含水量为122.29%,说明尕海湿地具有较强的蓄水功能;土壤容重平均值为0.478 6g/kg,土壤总孔隙度平均值为78.186%。随着土层加深,土壤容重呈现出增大趋势,而总孔隙度呈现出降低趋势。(2)尕海湿地泥炭土的有机质、全氮、全磷、全钾平均含量依次为302.04,10.37,0.81,13.93g/kg,空间变异程度均属中等水平。随着土层加深,土壤有机质、全氮、全磷平均含量均呈现出下降的趋势,而土壤全钾平均含量呈现出先降低后升高的趋势,说明不同深度土壤中生物量的积累对土壤养分含量有重要影响。     

The effect of geocryological conditions and soil properties on the spatial variation in the CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emission from flat-topped peat mounds in the isolated permafrost zone of Western Siberia

The active layer thickness, CO2 emission, and contents of organic substances (including the total organic carbon, labile carbon, and the carbon of microbial biomass) in the soils of flat-topped peat mounds in the area of the Nadym Experimental Station in the north of Western Siberia (experimental site CALM R1) are characterized by considerable spatial variability. The low values of the CО₂ emission are confined to the microelevations on the peatland surface. The high values of the emission (>200 mg CO₂/(m² h)) are typical of the soils with the highest content of the carbon of microbial biomass and the lowest content of the labile organic carbon. The soils of elevated flat-topped peat mounds statistically differ from the soils of waterlogged mires in the contents of total, labile, and microbial carbon and in the CO₂ emission values. Though the soils of elevated flat-topped peat mounds are characterized by the high content of the carbon of microbial biomass (4260 ± 880 mg С/kg soil), the CO₂ emission from them is low (158 ± 23 mg CO₂/(m² h)), which is explained by the structure of microbial communities in the cryogenic soils and by the effect of specific hydrothermic conditions.     

Assessing the humus status and CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> production in soils of anthropogenic and agrogenic landscapes in southern regions of the Russian Far East

The humus status and CO₂ production have been assessed in soils of natural and anthropogenic landscapes in southern regions of the Far East with different types of redox conditions. A higher production of CO₂ is typical of burozems and soddy-eluvial-metamorphic soils with oxidative and contrast redox conditions. These are soils with medium or high humus content, high potential humification capacity, and medium enrichment with catalase. A decrease in the content of humus in the plow horizons of soils in agrogenic landscapes is revealed compared to their natural analogues. The studied soils mainly have humus of the fulvate–humate type. The fractions strongly bound to the mineral soil component prevail in humic acids. In waterlogged mucky-humus gley soils, the anaerobic conditions hamper the biological activity and transformation of organic matter, which favors its accumulation. A low production of CO₂ is observed in soils with reducing conditions. To determine the differences between the CO₂ emission parameters in soils of agrogenic and natural landscapes, monitoring studies should be extended.     

Hysterese der Wasserspannungskurve in organogenen Böden

Soil water hysteresis in organic soils In 20 undisturbed samples of peat, muck, peaty soil and humic sand, the hysteresis of the moisture characteristic by soil suction from 0 to –9,8 kPa and from 0 to –29,4 kPa was measured. The greatest hysteresis was found in peat. Suction values from –1 to –3 kPa caused differences of 0,076 cm³/cm³ in water content during drying and wetting. In muck with low ash content and in humic sand the hysteresis was smaller. In peaty soil and muck with high ash content (> 40 %) it diminished to twice or three times lower values in comparison with those in peat. In organic soils the hysteresis decreases clearly by soil suction higher than –6 kPa. Repetition of drying and wetting gave a diminution (ca. 30 %) of the hysteresis loop in peat and displaces it towards the field of lower water content. The hysteresis of muck did not change considerably. The change of the porosity structure (pore ϕ > 30 μm) during the repetition of drying and wetting indicate that some soil shrinkage has occured.