Evaluation and Spatial Variability of Cryogenic Soil Properties (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia)

Abstract

Agricultural development in northern polar areas has potential as a result of global warming. Such expansion requires modern soil surveys and large-scale maps. In this study, the abandoned arable experimental field founded by I.G. Eichfeld one century ago in Salekhard city (Russian Arctic), located in the polar circle, was investigated. Our aims were to assess the nutritional soil properties and their spatial variability. For spatial assessment and mapping, ordinary kriging (OK) and inverse distance-weighted (IDW) methods were employed. We found that due to long-term agriculture use, the soil cover was represented by a unique Plaggic Podzol (Turbic) that is not typical of the region. The soil was characterized by relatively low soil organic carbon (SOC) content, high acidity and a high content of plant-available forms of phosphorus in the humus-accumulative horizon. The results showed that some properties (pH H2O, pH CaCl2) were characterized by large-scale heterogeneity and showed clear spatial dependence. However, some properties (ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, basal respiration) showed a pure-nugget effect, presumably due to experimentation with fertilizer over a long period of time.