Chernousenko G.I. Review of Soil Salinization in the Russian North for the Period of 1933-2024 // Ecosystems: ecology and dynamics. No 2. 2025. P. 43-78. | Abstract | PDF | Reference
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- Marsh soils: a) on the coast of the Laptev Sea, b) on the coast of the East Siberian Sea (National Report …, 2024)
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- Saline soils of permafrost areas of Yakutia, in the Lena River valley (photo by G.I.Chernousenko)
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- Valley of the Lena River, Yakutia (photo by G.I.Chernousenko)
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- Preparation for the study of saline soils in the Lena River valley, Yakutia (photo by G.I.Chernousenko)
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- Study of cultivated saline soils in the Lena River valley, Yakutia (photo by G.I.Chernousenko)
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- Landscapes with saline soils in the permafrost areas of Buryatia, Barguzin Basin (photo by G.I.Chernousenko)
In this article the works on the soil salinization of the Arctic coast, adjacent subarctic regions of Russia and the Arctic Oceanislands are summarizes, and the definitions of saline soils and saline grounds are explained. Additionally, the distribution and types of frozen saline rocks in coastal zones, sources of salts and factors that determine the specifics of soil formation, including salinization methods and processes (such as leaching of rocks, exchange reactions, desulfation, freezing/thawing), are considered. The existing classifications of coastal soils are analyzed. The distribution, chemistry and degree of soil salinization are studiedusingthe analytical data: starting from the coast of the White Sea and the Ainov Islands of the Barents Sea in the west, to the Chukchi coast and Wrangel Island in the east. Salinization was registered on the coast of the White, Barents, Kara, East Siberian and Laptev Seas, on the Yugorsk and the Yamal Peninsulas, on Vaygach, Sharapovy Koshki, Bolshevik, Bolshoy and Maly Lyakhovsky, Faddeyevsky, Wrangel, Dunay islands, and the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The chemistry of soil salinization was thoroughly considered to find out that chloride-sodium chemistry dominates closer to the sea, in the peat soils and soils with a heavier granulometric composition. Meanwhile, on lighter rocks further from the coast, as well as inthe soils on marine terraceswith mobile chlorides washed out from the profile, sulfates begin to predominate, and their chemistry is mostly chloride-sulfate, sometimes with gypsum. In soils with gypsum, the proportion of magnesium is higher, or even dominant in some cases. Soil salinization varies from weak to solonchaks. The ongoing climate aridization will eventually redistributethe saline territories and, possibly, reduce their area due to permafrost degradation and a probable increase in precipitation. Aridization of the northern regions might change the dominant chemistry of salinization, meaning that the predominantly chloride type will most likelychange to chloride-sulfate or sulfate magnesium-sodium.
Keywords: chemistry, degree of salinization, genesis of salts, analytical data, climate change.
DOI: 10.24412/2542-2006-2025-2-43-78
EDN: BLLZXW