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For the first time, data on the emission of climate-active gases from soils of different types of use of the south taiga sub-zone were obtained. Soils of the boreal belt are key elements of the global carbon cycle. They determine the sink and emission of climate-active gases. Soils near large cities are a major carbon sink, in the face of climate change, soils from sinks can become a source of carbon and contribute significantly to climate change on the planet. Studies of FCO2 and FCH4 fluxes were carried out on the territory of the monitoring site "Ladoga" located in the southern taiga subzone in soils of land not used in agriculture, former agriculture lands, and wetlands. During the chamber measurements, a portable gas analyzer GLA131-GGA (ABB, Canada) was used. The chamber was placed on the soil, after which the concentration of CO2, CH4 and H2O in the mobile chamber was recorded. As a result of the study it was found that the lowest emission of carbon dioxide is characteristic of soils developing on the soils of wetland and is 0.64 gCO2/(m2*year). Which is associated with a high degree of hydrophobicity of the territory and changes in the redox regime. The highest emission of carbon dioxide is registered in soils on the land not used in agriculture and is 4.16 gCO2/(m2*year). This is due to the formation of predominantly labile forms of carbon in the soil, which can be relatively rapidly involved in the carbon cycle and affect the active emission of carbon from the soil. According to the data obtained on FCH4 emission from soils, it was found that soils of land not used in agriculture and former agriculture lands were net sinks, while soils of wetlands were characterized by CH4 source, the emission was from 0.05 to 0.83 gCH4/(m2*year). The results obtained indicate spatial heterogeneity and changes in the carbon cycle within the monitoring site "Ladoga", which are due to the change of plant communities and habitat type. Monitoring the release of important greenhouse gases in close proximity to major urban areas is an important task in the face of predicted climate change and increasing rates of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technogenic processes and agrodevelopment of the soil cover lead to significant transformations of soil chemical and biological properties. New methods of soil microbiology, including next-generation sequencing, allows us to investigate soil microbial composition in detail, including the taxonomy and ecological functions of soil bacteria. This study presents data on the taxonomic diversity of mature and anthropogenically disturbed soils in various ecosystems of Russia. Natural soils in the southern taiga (Leningrad region and Novgorod region), northern taiga (Komi republic), forest-tundra, and tundra (Nadym city and Salekhard city) were investigated using next-generation sequencing (16S rDNA amplicon sequencing). In each natural bioclimatic zone, anthropogenically disturbed quarry soils or agriculturally transformed soils were also investigated. It was found that Proteobacteria, Actinobateriota, Acidobateriota, Bacteroidota, Chroloflexi, Planctomycetota, Verrucomicrobiota and Firmicutes phyla were dominant in natural soils, with minor differences between agrosoils and mature soils. In the soils of quarries, there were revealed processes of declining diversity of microbiome communities and the replacement of them by bacterial communities, different from natural and agrogenic soils. Thus, the microbial community is the most sensitive indicator of anthropogenic soil amendments and can serve to assess the success of soil self-restoration after human intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chernevaya taiga is a unique ecosystem formed under the influence of a complex of geogenic and bioclimatic factors located in the foothill border of the southeastern part of Western Siberia. The combination of local climatic conditions and the composition of parent material led to the formation of specific soil conditions on the territory of these habitats. The soils of the Chernevaya taiga have unique morphogenesis. They have a thick podzolized horizon and are fertile, unlike the typical soils of the oligotrophic pine forests of Siberia; however, the microstructure of these soils is poorly studied. The purpose of the research is to analyze the micromorphological organization and microstructure of three types of soils in Western Siberia (two typical soils from the Chernevaya taiga (Greyzemic Phaeozem (Albic) and Albic Stagnic Luvisol (Ochric)) and one from oligotrophic pine stand (Eutric Protoargic Arenosol)). It was found that the soils of the Chernevaya taiga differ greatly from the background (zonal) soils of the region on both the macro- and microlevels. In the Phaeozems and Luvisols of the Chernevaya taiga, there are actively formed organomineral aggregates and the quantity of porous media is more than 50%. At the bottom of the podzolized part of the soil profiles, we noted illuvial processes and a sharp change in the type of microstructure. The presence of pyrogenic materials (charcoal) and coprolitic (vermicular) materials in the humus-accumulative horizon indicates a high rate of material transformation and high biological activity and bioturbation in the soil. The skeleton part of the Chernevaya taiga soils is represented by a quartz–feldspar base with an admixture of sericite; augite; biotite; and a minimal admixture of tourmaline, zircon, and glauconite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial activity plays a crucial role in the development and formation of soil properties. The active and abandoned agricultural soils in the Arctic zone represent a valuable resource that can play a crucial role in providing food security in the northern regions. The reuse of abandoned land for agriculture will reduce environmental risks in the context of a changing climate. Therefore, there is a need for monitoring studies to assess changes in soil parameters after long-term abandonment (taxonomic diversity, agrochemical and physico-chemical qualities). In the study, we evaluated the taxonomic diversity of the microbiome in abandoned (postagrogenic) and pristine soils of the Central part of the Yamal region. In the process of taxonomic analysis, more than 30 different bacterial and archaeal phyla were identified. The formation of a specific microbiome associated with anthropogenic influence in post-agrogenic sites has been shown. Most common types of soil microorganisms in samples collected from pristine and postagrogenic soils were Firmicutes (average 26.86%), Proteobacteria (average 23.41%), and Actinobacteria (average 15.45%). Firmicutes phylum was found mainly in the agrocenoses soils, Proteobacteria were mainly described in the mature tundra soils, Actinobacteria in humid conditions. An increase in diversity indices in postagrogenic soils was shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on the ornithogenic factor of soil formation in Antarctic conditions. Since the traditional soil formation processes in Antarctic conditions are very limited, the relevance of studying the role of the ornithogenic factor is increasing. This article provides a comparative study of nutrient content and values of some physico-chemical parameters between ornithogenic and non-ornithogenic soils sampled at terrestrial ecosystems of the Antarctic oasis Bunger Hills (Knox Coast, Wilkes Land). The levels of key biogenic elements content have been estimated with special reference to ornitogenic factor of soil formation. A high content of available forms of phosphorus and potassium in ornithogenic and non-ornithogenic soils was found. According to the results of statistical analysis, we can see that the content of nutritional elements has a close significant correlation relationship (p<0.05). The analysis of variance showed that the content of available phosphorus and potassium varies weakly between soils of ornithogenic and non-ornithogenic genesis. The greatest variability depending on soil-forming processes is noted for basal respiration, pH and available forms of nitrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research looked at the state of soils faced with urbanization processes in the Arctic region of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District (YANAO). Soils recently used in agriculture, which are now included in the infrastructure of the cities of Salekhard, Labytnangi, Kharsaim, and Aksarka in the form of various parks and public gardens were studied. Morphological, physico-chemical, and agrochemical studies of selected soils were conducted. Significant differences in fertility parameters between urbanized abandoned agricultural soils and mature soils of the region were revealed. The quality of soil resources was also evaluated in terms of their ecotoxicology condition, namely, the concentrations of trace metals in soils were determined and their current condition was assessed using calculations of various individual and complex soil quality indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamically developing urbanization causes a number of environmental effects, including those related to the chemical transformation of soils. Relatively less information about the urban areas of the Arctic and Subarctic zones, constructed mostly on permafrost and intensively populated areas can be found. By the example of the analysis of basic soil properties and concentrations of trace metals in the soils of the cities of Salekhard, Urengoy, Nadym, Novy Urengoy and Gaz Sale (the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District), as well as various functional zones within the cities, the relationship between the age of the cities, the level of anthropogenic pressure and the type of parent materials and the character of accumulation of metals in the soil profile of urban soils have been described. The direct correlation was found between the content of Pb, Cr, Ni, As and soil sorption characteristics. In young cities built on sandy sediments, there is less accumulation of heavy metals in the topsoil horizons. Relatively higher concentrations of Cu and Cd were noted in soils of industrialized cities, regardless of functional zones. The higher content of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb has been registered in older zones also frequently used for residential purposes. The calculated values of the PI index for some functional zones of young cities show the medium and high content of heavy metals. The analysis of Igeo and PLI indices shows a large diversity both in relation to individual cities and their functional zones. Soil quality, in spite of the high level of anthropogenic load, was assessed as mostly satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban soils are the most vulnerable component of the current terrestrial ecosystem. Due to the anthropogenic influence, various pollutants can accumulate in the soils and have a negative effect on the health of citizens. As a result of the degradation of permafrost landscapes, the disappearance of a number of natural ecosystems, as well as urban areas, is possible. In the course of the development of thermokarst processes, problems arise in the urban environment with the destruction of urban buildings and a decrease in agricultural areas. The ecosystem of Yakutsk city is located in the valley of the Lena River and represents the largest urbanized terrestrial biotope, located in the permafrost-affected bioclimatic and geogenic conditions. This work represents relevant datasets on the physico-chemical, toxicological and agrochemical state of soil cover components in various functional zones of the city. An 3excess of the maximum threshold levels for Zn was noted in the area of active mining within the city borders. From the data obtained of pollution state, the most polluted zone of Yakutsk city is the quarry complex located in relative proximity to the city. In other studied areas of the city, there is no excess of permissible threshold levels for trace elements. According to agrochemical analysis, in Yakutsk city, there is a relatively low content of available agrochemical elements in comparison with other cities located in the permafrost-affected zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]