Characteristics of soils in altitudinal belts of the Yaptiknyrd ridge (Subpolar Urals)

The aim of this work was to study specific features of soil formation depending on the altitude-zonal gradient of the Subpolar Urals using the example of the Yaptiknyrd ridge. We carried out the research in the territory of the Yugyd Va National Park (63°59' N, 59°13' E) in the northern part of the Subpolar Urals (See Fig. 1). Research facilities (7 soil profiles) (See Fig. 2) were located on the eastern slope of the Yaptiknyrd ridge. According to the soil-ecological zoning the study area is in the north of the Ural mountain soil province. The climate of the Subpolar Urals is continental, harsh, with long frosty winters and short cool summers. We diagnosed and classified soil position in accordance with "Field guide of soils in Russia" and classification system WRB. For the studied soils we determined the main physical and chemical parameters: acidity, total content of C and N, exchangeable cations - Ca²+ and Mg²+, content of Fe and Al (See Table 1). The content of carbon and nitrogen was determined using elemental analyzer EA 1110 (Carlo Erba, Italy). The degree of saturation of soil bases was determined as the ratio of the sum of exchangeable cations to the sum of the same cations and hydrolytic acidity values, multiplied by 100%. Granulometric composition was determined according to the method of Kachinsky (See Table 2). The colors of the genetic horizons were determined using the Munsell scale. We examined the soils that form in the mountain-forest, subalpine and mountain-tundra belts of the Yaptiknard ridge. Our research showed that Histic Cryosol and Stagnic Entic Podzol form under harsh climatic conditions of the mountain-tundra belt in the upper and lower parts of slopes. The dominant soils forming under mixed grass meadows with subalpine belt are Haplic Umbrisol and Haplic Leptosol. Stagnic Umbrisol, Histic Podzol and Albic Podzol form in the mountain forest zone. We found that soil formation in the study area was influenced by a high-altitude zone factor, which determines the change of plant communities from the top to the foot of the ridge; a factor for inversion of the mountain belts due to the close occurrence of permafrost, due to the effect of convective cooling of the valleys; a severe climate in the Subpolar Urals, in which soils with morphologically distinct signs of cryogenesis of various intensities form. Thus, basing on the obtained data on the macrocatena (See Fig. 3) of the investigated Yaptiknard ridge and analysis of the existing literature, we can assume that catenary differentiation of soils and inversion of high-altitude vegetation belts is a regular phenomenon for the mountain ranges of the Subpolar Urals. The article contains 3 Figures, 2 Tables, 47References.

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