Soils and Vegetation of the Khaipudyr Bay Coast of the Barents Sea

Soils and vegetation of the coastal zone of the Khaipudyr Bay of the Barents Sea have been examined and compared with analogous objects in the Karelian coastal zone of the White Sea. The environmental conditions of these two areas are somewhat different: the climate of the Khaipudyr Bay coast is more severe, and the seawater salinity is higher (32–33‰ in the Khaipudyr Bay and 25–26‰ in the White Sea). The soil cover patterns of both regions are highly variable. Salt-affected marsh soils (Tidalic Fluvisols) are widespread. The complicated mesotopography includes high geomorphic positions that are not affected by tidal water. Under these conditions, zonal factors of pedogenesis predominate and lead to the development of Cryic Folic Histosols and Histic Reductaquic Cryosols. On low marshes, the concentrations of soluble Ca²⁺, K⁺ + Na⁺, Cl^–, and SO^2-₄ ions in the soils of the Khaipudyr Bay coast are two to four times higher than those in the analogous soils of Karelian coast. Cluster analysis of a number of soil characteristics allows separation of three soils groups: soils of low marshes, soils of middle-high marshes, and soils of higher positions developing under the impact of zonal factors together with the aerial transfer and deposition of seawater drops. The corresponding plant communities are represented by coastal sedge cenoses, forb–grassy halophytic cenoses, and zonal cenoses of hypoarctic tundra. It is argued that the grouping of marsh soils in the new substantivegenetic classification system of Russian soils requires further elaboration.     

A new method to determine the carbon content of water-soluble organic compounds in soils

The possibility to use the oxidation rate of different waters by dichromate as measured by photometry for the determination of the organic carbon content in water extracts from the organic horizons of soddy-podzolic soils (in the Republic of Komi) was confirmed. The advantages of the method proposed are discussed.     

Nitrogen Compounds in the Soil of the Continental Margins of the European Russian Arctic

Eurasian Soil Science - The specific features in the distribution of organic and mineral nitrogen compounds in marsh and tundra soils of the European Russian Arctic (coastal areas of the Barents...     

Composition of Water Extracts from Plant Material and Soils on Calcareous Rocks and of Surface Water in the Northern Part of the Polar Urals

Eurasian Soil Science - A comparative analysis of the chemical composition and properties of water-soluble compounds of the soils on calcareous rocks, aboveground phytomass, and waters is performed...     

Individual organic compounds in water extracts from podzolic soils of the Komi Republic

The contents of organic compounds in water extracts from organic horizons of loamy soils with different water contents from the medium taiga zone of the Komi Republic were determined by gas-liquid chromatography and chromatography-mass spectrometry. The mass concentration of organic carbon in the extracts was in the range of 290?C330 mg/dm³; the mass fraction of the carbon from the identified compounds was 0.5?C1.9%. Hydrocarbons made up about 60% of the total identified compounds; acids and their derivatives composed less than 40%. Most of the acids (40?C70%) were aliphatic hydroxy acids. The tendencies in the formation of different classes of organic compounds were revealed depending on the degree of the soil hydromorphism. The acid properties of the water-soluble compounds were studied by pK spectroscopy. Five groups of compounds containing acid groups with similar pK_a values were revealed. The compounds containing groups with pK_a < 4.0 were predominant. The increase in the surface wetting favored the formation of compounds with pK_a 3.2?C4.0 and 7.4?C8.4.     

Problems and Limitations of the Dichromatometric Method for Measuring Soil Organic Matter Content: A Review

Eurasian Soil Science - The content of soil organic matter (SOM) is a fundamental characteristic of the humus status of soils. The dichromatometric method based on a significant variety of...     

Potential Sources of Exchangeable Acidity in Strongly Acid Soils (pHKCl < 3.3) and Validation of Its Determination

Eurasian Soil Science - Exchangeable acidity in samples from organic and mineral horizons of taiga and bog soils with strongly acid reaction (pHKCl &lt; 3.3 and...     

Composition of the Water-Soluble Soil Fraction on the Barents Sea Coast: Organic Carbon and Nitrogen,Low-Molecular Weight Components

Eurasian Soil Science - Water extracts from soils of the Barents Sea coast (the Khaipudyr Bay) were analyzed for the contents of organic carbon and total nitrogen by the method of high-temperature...     

Water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids in automorphic loamy soils of the tundra and taiga zones

The formation features of water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) in a zonal series of automorphic soils on loose silicate rocks from the middle taiga to the southern tundra (typical podzolic, gley-podzolic, and surface-gley tundra soils) were first revealed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and gas-liquid chromatography. The content of LMWOAs varies within the range of 1–14 mg/dm³, which corresponds to 1–5% of the total carbon of the water-soluble soil organic matter. It has been shown that a subzonal feature of gley-podzolic soils in the northern taiga is the high content of LMWOAs, including primarily the strongest aliphatic hydroxyl acids. Possible mechanisms of their formation and accumulation in soils have been considered.     

Fractional Composition of the Compounds of Some Typomorphic Chemical Elements in Soils of the Barents Sea (Khaipudyr Bay) Coastal Area

Eurasian Soil Science - Information on different compounds of elements, such as Na, K, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, and Mn, contributes to our understanding of the genesis of poorly studied soils of northern...