Geostatistical analysis in mapping the spatial heterogeneity of soil humidity and acidity

The relevance of the study of geostatistical methods and their application in practice in soil-geographical surveys takes place both from an economic and scientific point of view. Without detailed accounting of soil heterogeneity, which can be provided by geostatistics, farms lose a large amount of material and financial resources. The purpose of the study presented in the article is to study the spatial variability of soil acidity and moisture content in experimental plots using geostatistical research methods, substantiate their use in constructing cartograms of the studied properties, and determine the degree of influence of the anthropogenic factor on the heterogeneity of the studied properties. The object of the study was two experimental sites, laid on the territory of the Volozhin district of the Minsk region, in the area of the educational and geographical station "Western Berezina". They are represented by a forest area of 3.8 hectares. On these plots, 30 samples were taken and a plot of arable land adjacent to the forest with an area of 5.9 hectares, on which 37 samples were taken. The importance of primary statistical processing of information is shown, and the main stages of the geostatistical approach as a whole are reflected. When analyzing the anisotropy, it was possible to identify the presence of trends characterized by a second order polynomial, and to determine its direction for the studied soil properties in the studied areas. With the help of variogram analysis, an idea of the degree of variation of the studied properties at different hierarchical levels of the general heterogeneity of the areas was obtained, and a quantitative assessment of the accuracy of cartograms was obtained. In the course of geostatistical analysis, based on the residual variance values, it was determined that the studied indicators on the experimental plots can be successfully mapped using kriging and the resulting cartograms will be as close to reality as possible. A comparative characteristic of the final cartograms constructed by different interpolation methods is given, which substantiated the use of the method of geostatistical analysis in cases of high variability of data and the absence of normal distribution in them. When analyzing the anisotropy, the main trends in the variation of the studied parameters were revealed, in the direction of which the relief of the territory plays a dominant role, especially for humidity. A significant influence of anthropogenic impact on the processes of spatial distribution of acidity was established based on trends and obtained cartograms. This is reflected in the almost complete absence of the influence of the height difference on the pH value in KCl and is determined by the nature of the work on the introduction of toxic substances. It has been confirmed that there is an increase in moisture content in cultivated soils that are not permanently covered with vegetation.

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