Soil in russia
Join us on our trip to Russia from August 12 to 15! ENAJ and Barenbrug present the first in a worldwide series of Field Workshops: Healthy soil as a building block for a circular economy. Learn all you need to know as an Ag journalist on soil health, the current situation, the consequences, and the different solutions. Join us on this exploration: what does soil health mean in general in Europe, worldwide and what is the practice in Russia? What are its facts and myths, how do mixed farms deal with this, and what is the importance of grass in this whole matter?
Soil erosion: The Siberian agricultural lands in Russia
The great mountain barriers to the south and east prevent the ingress of ameliorating influences from the Indian and Pacific oceans, but the absence of relief barriers on the western and northern sides leaves the country open to Atlantic and Arctic influences.
In effect there are only two seasons, winter and summer; spring and autumn are brief periods of rapid change from one extreme to the other. Movement of air outward from these high-pressure zones ensures that winds are mainly from the southwest in European Russia, from the south over much of Siberia, and from the northwest along the Pacific coast.
This situation reverses itself in summer, when the landmass heats up; low pressure develops over the Asian interior, and air moves inward—from the northwest in the European section, from the north in Siberia, and from the southeast along the Pacific. The air movements even out the north-south contrasts in winter temperatures, which might be expected to occur as a result of latitude.
Thus, on the Russian Plain isotherms have a north-south trend, and temperatures at each latitude decline from the west toward a cold pole in northeastern Siberia. Along the Mongolian border the average temperature is only a degree or two above that along the Arctic coast 1, miles 2, km farther north.
Extreme temperatures diverge greatly from these means. Extreme winter cold is characteristic of most of Russia; the frost-free period exceeds six months only in the North Caucasus and varies with latitude from five to three months in the European section to three months to less than two in Siberia.
The main characteristics of precipitation throughout Russia are the modest to low total amounts and the pronounced summer maximum.
Across the European plains and western Siberia, total precipitation declines from northwest to southeast. In these regions, except in a few places close to the Baltic, precipitation generally remains below 24 inches mm , falling from 21 inches mm at Moscow to about 8 inches mm along the border with Kazakhstan. In eastern Siberia, totals are generally less than 16 inches mm and as little as 5 inches mm along the Arctic coast. Precipitation increases again along the Pacific 24 inches [ mm] in Vladivostok , where the moisture-laden onshore summer monsoon brings significant precipitation.
Amounts vary with elevation; the higher parts of the Urals receive more than 28 inches mm , and the mountains of Kamchatka province and the Sikhote-Alin receive well over 40 inches 1, mm annually. Snow is a pronounced feature for the entire country, and its depth and duration have important effects on agriculture. The duration of snow cover varies with both latitude and altitude, ranging from 40 to days across the Russian Plain and from to days in Siberia.
In the mountain zones of the south and east, the pattern is more complex because elevation rather than latitude is the dominant factor, and there are striking changes over relatively short distances. Within Russia there are six main environmental belts some with subdivisions : Arctic desert, tundra, taiga, mixed and deciduous forest , wooded steppe, and steppe.
Arctic desert—confined to the islands of Franz Josef Land , much of the Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya archipelagoes, and the New Siberian Islands —is completely barren land with little or no vegetation.
Considerable areas are ice-covered. Nearly one-tenth of Russian territory is tundra , a treeless, marshy plain. Occupying a narrow coastal belt in the extreme north of the European Plain , the tundra widens to a maximum of about miles km in Siberia.
Tundra soils are extremely poor. Tundra soils are frozen for much of the year, and during the summer thaw drainage is inhibited by the presence of permafrost beneath the thawed surface layer.
A typical tundra soil has a shallow surface layer of raw humus, beneath which there is a horizon soil layer of gley sticky, clayey soil resting on the permafrost.
Vegetation changes from north to south, and three subdivisions are recognized: Arctic tundra , with much bare ground and extensive areas of mosses and lichens; shrubby tundra, with mosses, lichens, herbaceous plants, dwarf Arctic birch, and shrub willow; and wooded tundra, with more extensive areas of stunted birch, larch, and spruce.
There are considerable stretches of sphagnum bog. Apart from reindeer, which are herded by the indigenous population, the main animal species are the Arctic foxes, musk oxen , beavers, lemmings, snowy owls, and ptarmigan. South of the tundra lies the vast taiga boreal forest zone, the largest of the environmental regions.
The western taiga, where the climate is less extreme, is often distinguished from the eastern taiga beyond the Yenisey. In the western section forests of spruce and fir in moister areas alternate with shrubs and grasses interspersed with pine on lighter soils.
These species also are present in the east, but the larch becomes dominant there. However, coniferous forest is not continuous; there are large stands of birch , alder , and willow and, in poorly drained areas, huge stretches of swamp and peat bog. The taiga is rich in fur-bearing animals, such as sables, squirrels, marten, foxes, and ermines, and it is also home to many elks, bears, muskrat, and wolves.
Throughout the taiga zone the dominant soil type is the podzol , a product of the intense leaching characteristic of this area of moisture surplus. The forest vegetation provides a surface layer of highly acidic raw humus that decomposes slowly, producing humic acids.
Percolating downward, acidic groundwater removes iron and calcium compounds from the upper layers, which, as a result, are pale in colour. Soluble materials are redeposited at lower levels, often resulting in an iron-rich hardpan that impedes the drainage of the upper horizons, which leads to the formation of gley podzols.
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The Soil Map of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (SMR; Fridlund,. ) at scale M was compiled through the joint efforts of many. Chernozem (from Russian: чернозём, tr. chernozyom, IPA: [tɕɪrnɐˈzʲom]; "black soil") is a black-colored soil containing a high percentage.
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Regional features of sheet and gully erosion are presented.
The factors of soil formation are not directly taken into account in the new profile-genetic Russian soil classification system; they are not reflected in the names and diagnostics of the soils. At the same time, as well as in many other modern soil classification systems, including the American Soil Taxonomy and the WRB system, the choice of the diagnostic criteria, the establishment of the relationships between them, and the setting of the quantitative boundaries between the soil taxa are based on our perception of soil geneses with due account for the factors of soil formation. In contrast to the ecological-genetic soil classification system of , information on the factors of soil formation in the new system is encoded in the properties of the soil horizons.
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Stolbovoi V Practically all pedological centers and institutes in Russia contributed their expertise and scientific knowledge accumulated during more than two decades to the map. The map legend comprises the latest soil-genetic classification concepts in which the soil characteristics have been considered together with soil-forming factors. The soil-geographical background of the map introduces a variety of geographical regularities of soil spatial distributions among which the soil zonality and the soil cover structure have been comprehensively represented. Although the SMR is regarded as the major inventory document at the country scale, it is not widely known.
Russian soil quality so poor that it can barely sustain the population
The report comes less than a week after an international survey using satellite data showed that soil degradation has dramatically reduced food productivity see related story. The vast majority of farms are now very small and individually owned by farmers who attempt to eke out an existence and can little afford to improve the soil quality. Despite the creation of a centralised programme to tackle agricultural pollution in , environmental devastation is felt nationwide: from the north, where deliberate flooding has led to waterlogged soil to the south, where irrigation schemes have left the soil salty. The report says that environmental groups have tended the overlook the gravity of the problem, instead focusing on more dramatic events, such as the state of nuclear plants. Subscribe to updates Subscribe below to recieve updates direct to your inbox - or - Continue to content. Soil degradation has even affested the far east of Russia. Tags Topics Click a keyword to see more stories on that topic, view related news , or find more related items. Comments Please login or register to make a comment. No other reproduction or distribution is permitted without prior written consent. Join the edie community.
The great mountain barriers to the south and east prevent the ingress of ameliorating influences from the Indian and Pacific oceans, but the absence of relief barriers on the western and northern sides leaves the country open to Atlantic and Arctic influences. In effect there are only two seasons, winter and summer; spring and autumn are brief periods of rapid change from one extreme to the other.
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Remember Me. Lost your password? Register Now. Environmental protection through engineering. The protection of the environment has been a corporate goal since we first offered hydraulic works solutions and erosion protection solutions over years ago. This application area involves protecting vulnerable soils, reducing erosion through stabilisation. Gradual threats. These soil surfaces are not exposed to the constant hydraulic forces of rivers and channels, but the occasional wetting and drying erosion forces from wind, rain and gravity. If allowed to continue, loss of vegetation, habitat and land will occur. Action appropriate to risk. Our philosophy is to offer clients a graded, logical range of erosion protection and drainage techniques so that the level of intervention is appropriate to the erosion risk encountered. Tailor-made solutions are available. The value of efficient drainage. Using our bespoke design software, we assist clients with their erosion needs, providing optimised, value for money solutions.
