Anthropogenic Transformation of Some Properties and Composition of Gazh Gray-Brown Soils of the Ganja-Gazakh Plain

Gay gray-brown soils are distributed mainly in the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus, on the Ganja-Gazakh plain and in the lower reaches of the Araz basin. They are formed by changing volcanic rocks in hot and dry climates. In the process of erosion and soil formation, pyrite, alunitized and other sulfur-containing rocks turn into gazh, on which gray-brown gazh soils are formed. As a result of human activity, i. e. deep plowing and irrigation, these lands are being converted. It turned out that the transformation of these soils is clearly felt in the thickness of the humus layer, its distribution along the profile, quantity and composition. The thickness of the humus layer increases from 40–45 cm to 100 cm. As a result of the transformation, the length of the humus profile is constantly decreasing. Changes in the composition of humus led to an increase in the content of humic acids. Although the coefficient in the uncultivated area decreased from 1.36 to 0.80, in the irrigated area it changed from 1.70 to 0.93.

Ecogenesis and primary soil formation on the East European Plain. A review

Numerous published studies have shown that soil formation, including primary pedogenesis, is closely connected functionally, energetically and operationally with ecogenesis as a key biogenic exploration mechanism of the Earth’s surface by living organisms. The ontogenetic stage of soil evolution, especially in the initial phases, is determined by geogenic conditions and the intensity and trends of biogenic-accumulative processes in the developing ecosystem. Primary soils are considered critical in the rapid development of the initial ancient biosphere, supporting multiple environmental possibilities for ecosystems in that stage of their formation. Currently, similar models of correlated soil formation and ecogenesis are actualised when new substrates appear suitable for biogenic-abiogenic interactions, which occur in both natural and anthropogenic landscapes. Biotic factors during primary pedogenesis have accumulative and transformative effects on the edaphic component complex. At this stage, the initial pedon is a key functional stage in the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems (biogeocenosis). When restoration of natural ecosystems occurs during the independent growth of exposed substrates, the natural regeneration mechanisms normally occur. These processes are based on the biogenic development of the substrate through the accumulation and transformation of organic matter.

Morphological and physico-chemical properties of Cryosoils in the Bulgarian antarctic base on Livingston island, Antarctica

Under the global climatic changes and anthropogenic impacts on the environment, information about characteristics and specific features of soils in remote regions as Antarctica is valuable and could be used as references. This study focuses on the analyses of original data about the physico-chemical composition and micromorphological structure of Cryosols, collected in 2019 from the sampling area of the Bulgarian Antarctic Base “St. Kl. Ohridski” located on Livingston Island, Antarctica. The studied Cryosols are moderately acidic with slow and incomplete transformation of organic residues. The organic carbon content is low, except for soils formed under the influence of an ornithogenic factor. The mezo- and micromorphological observations show a predominance of the mineral phase, weakly affected by weathering processes. Many soil pores and voids are observed, which facilitates water-air and intra-soil exchange during the short Antarctic summer. The analyses showed an evidence for the connection of the processes of soil formation of Cryosols in the region with the pulsating degradation of the glaciers.

Structure of forest litter in larch forests of Middle and Southern Siberia

Forest litter plays a significant role in the functioning of forest ecosystems. As a product of forest and soil interaction, forest litter participates actively in the processes of soil formation and plant nutrition. We measured the total stock and analyzed difference in structure of forest litter formed in permafrost larch forests growing in the different climatic zones: in northern taiga of Central Siberia and in the mountain taiga of the Eastern Baikal region. The forest-forming species in both regions is Gmelin larch (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr.), but climatic conditions and soil cover in these regions differ. It was found that average stock of forest litter is higher in mountain larch forests of the Eastern Baikal region in comparison with northern boreal forests. The litter composition in these larch forests is characterized by a relatively larger contribution of soft fractions (needles and leaves) in contrast to the larch forests in the northern taiga, where a higher contribution of hardly decomposable components (branches, cones, bark, semi-decomposed wood, thick roots, and moss residues) was observed. Higher stock of fermented plant residues in comparison with humified ones indicated the accumulation of incompletely decomposed plant residues on the soil surface of these northern forests.

Potential Study of Liquefaction in the Downstream Area of Jono Oge-Paneki River, Central Sulawesi

Liquefaction during an earthquake is likely to occur in the quaternary geological layer of sediment. Based on the geological process, the mainland of Central Sulawesi was initially a sea lifted upward to become land Palu-Koro fault. Therefore, the land is basically of basic alluvium soil formation, sand deposits, and loose rock. The earthquake in Central Sulawesi in September 2018 was the cause of liquefaction, one of which was in the Jono Oge area, where most of the flow entered the Paneki river. This paper analyzed the potential for recurrent liquefaction by considering the soil structure and water level conditions. The authors focused on the downstream areas of the Paneki River, which passes through Langaleso and Kabobona Village. The data used is N-SPT data, followed by examining post-liquefaction settlement and lateral displacement. This study uses several variations of the earthquake magnitude and potential earthquakes that may occur. The results of observations indicate that the soil conditions of the study area are cohesionless soil. The liquefaction analysis shows that most of the research areas have liquefaction, land subsidence, and lateral displacement potential.

DYNAMICS OF HUMUS RESERVES AND FORECAST OF CARBON-INVESTING POTENTIAL OF ZONAL SOILS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN

The article analyzes the results of statistical processing of morphometric and agrochemical indicators of zonal soils of the Republic of Tatarstan based on the accumulated information of large-scale soil studies. The boundaries of genetic horizons are examined, the content of humus and its reserves within the limits of heavy loamy and clay varieties of arable soil subtypes is estimated. Arithmetic averages allow us to generalize the humus content in soils. So, in the series of sod-podzolic soils – light gray forest-gray forest – dark gray forest-podzolic chernozems – leached chernozems-typical soils in a layer of 0-30 cm on average contains 2,20; 2,58; 3,76; 4,76; 6,8; 7,6; 7,2 % humus. The observed patterns of humus accumulation in soils are also preserved in the distribution of its reserves – 85; 97; 140; 162; 233; 257; 240 tons per he-1. It is proposed to characterize the general population along the boundaries of typical values that fit into the 50% confidence interval to assess the overall range of spatial variability of humus indicators. The upper limit of the typicity will correspond to the greatest accumulation of humus with a combination of local features of soil formation factors and can serve as a guide for predicting carbon sequestration in the soils of this region. Accordingly, the carbon-sequestering potential of sod-podzolic soil and typical chernozem is-20 tons per he-1, light gray forest soil-22 tons per he-1, gray forest soil and leached chernozem-27 tons per he-1, the highest values in dark gray forest soil are more than 30 tons per he-1