Dynamics of Vegetation and Soil Cover of Pyrogenically Disturbed Areas of the Northern Taiga under Conditions of Thermokarst Development and Climate Warming

Roman Desyatkin (), Matrena Okoneshnikova, Alexandra Ivanova, Maya Nikolaeva, Nikolay Filippov and Alexey Desyatkin
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Roman Desyatkin: Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 677980 Yakutsk, Russia
Matrena Okoneshnikova: Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 677980 Yakutsk, Russia
Alexandra Ivanova: Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 677980 Yakutsk, Russia
Maya Nikolaeva: Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 677980 Yakutsk, Russia
Nikolay Filippov: Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 677980 Yakutsk, Russia
Alexey Desyatkin: Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, 677980 Yakutsk, Russia

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: Vegetation and soils of the North Taiga zone were studied in natural and thermokarst-disturbed areas of Yana-Adycha interfluve (northeastern Yakutia). Soil research includes a description and physicochemical analysis of samples. The objects of study were selected taking into account the landscape diversity of the area experiencing permafrost melting due to pyrogenic factors under global climate change: young thermokarst and taiga untouched by fires and within the thermokarst basin of early Holocene. It was determined that the permafrost melting is accompanied by the transformation of homogeneous soil cover. After a forest fire, thawing depth increases and occurs redistribution of moisture and water-soluble matters. As a result, on the drier tops of byllars, the formation of albic material under the organogenic horizon is observed in the calcic cambic cryosol, which indicates a fairly fast transformation rate. In depressions, the forest is not recovered. In the mature alas, the vegetation and soil cover has a belt structure, represented by a combination of cryosols, stagnosols, and gleysols. In contrast to the soils of the Central Yakutia alases, there are almost no signs of lacustrine redeposition of soil, which indicates a difference in the processes of alas formation in different parts of the cryolitozone.

Keywords: northern taiga; climate dynamics; burned area; permafrost melting; permafrost soil; thermokarst; soil transformation; cryosols (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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