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Soils As Indicators of Climatic Changes

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Soils As Indicators of Climatic Changes Yury G. Chendev1*, Аleksandr N. Petin1, Anthony R. Lupo2 1 Russia, National Research Belgorod State University; 308015, Belgorod, Pobeda St. 85; * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] 2 USA; University of Missouri; 302 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building, Columbia, MO 65211-7250; e-mail: [email protected] SOILS AS INDICATORS OF CLIMATIC CHANGES GEOGRAPHY 4 ABSTRACT. A number of examples for the system, which sensitively reacts to changes reaction of chernozems in the center of in natural conditions and, in the first place, the East European Plain and their relation to climate change. Therefore, in scientific to different periodical climatic changes literature in connection with soils, arose are examined. According to unequal-age such concepts as “soil-moment” and “soil- chernozems properties, the transition from memory”, “urgent” and “relict” characteristics the Middle Holocene arid conditions to the of soils, and “sensitivity” and “reflectivity” Late Holocene wet conditions occurred of soil properties [Aleksandrovskii, 1983; at 4000 yr BP. Using data on changes of Gennadiev, 1990; Sokolov and Targul’yan, soil properties, the position of boundary 1976; Sokolov, et al., 1986; and others]. between steppe and forest-steppe and the annual amount of precipitation at In contemporary world geography, there approximately 4000 yr BP were reconstructed. still remains a paucity of information on The change from warm-dry to cool-moist the many-sided interrelations of soils climatic phases, which occurred at the end with the other components of the natural of the XX century as a reflection of intra- environment. This is extremely important age-long climatic cyclic recurrence, led to aspect in light of current global ecological the strengthening of dehumification over problems, studies, and policy decisions, the profile of automorphic chernozems and one of which is the problem of climate to the reduction of its content in the upper change. meter of the soils. The leaching of carbonates and of readily soluble salts contributed While these have been long discussed by to the decrease in soil areas occupied by scientists, this problem during the last few typical and solonetzic chernozems, and to years acquired new urgency in connection the increase in areas occupied by leached with new data, reflecting “long” sequences chernozems. in paleoclimatic reconstructions and a comparatively short, but detailed series of KEY WORDS: chernozems, climate change, instrumental observations [Climate..., 2002; Holocene, forest-steppe, steppe. Climate..., 2008; Global..., 2000; and others]. We will continue the discussion on the following questions: “In what direction INTRODUCTION might the change in global climate go?” Among the diverse objects in the natural and “Is this change subordinated by trend environment, the soils are rightfully dependence or does it occur within cyclic considered one of the most informative climatic dynamics?” [Bunyard, 2001; Lupo, components. They contain the records not 2008; and others]. It seems that in finding only of contemporary, but also of past physical- new ways and approaches to this problem geographical and climatic conditions. At the it may be possible to find a solution to a same time, the soil is a rapidly changing number of other problems and the solution gi112.indd 4 21.03.2012 10:05:06 must be connected with a thorough study scheme, originally created for Scandinavia, is of soils as indicators of climate change. open for discussion [Aleksandrovskii and Aleksandrovskaya, 2005; Aleksandrovskii The role of soils in the study of chronological and Chendev, 2009]. In our understanding, variations of climate is reflected in a number from the point of view of age-long (long- of publications, many of which are oriented periodical) climate change in the territory of toward the use of soils in reconstructions of the forest-steppe and steppe zones of the long-term climate changes [Aleksandrovskii central part of the East European Plain, it is and Aleksandrovskaya, 2005; Buol et al., better to use division of the Holocene into 1997; Chendev, 2008; Climate..., 2009; Felix- Early, Middle, and Late period. According GEOGRAPHY Henningsen, 2000; Gennadiev, 1990; Ivanov, to contemporary ideas, the Early Holocene 1992; Jenny, 1941; and others]. There are (10000–8000 yr BP) was characterized by 5 fewer references on the study of soils as a cool-cold and dry climate. The Middle indicators of contemporary climate change Holocene (8000–4000 (3500) yr BP) had [Ovechkin and Isaev, 1985; Savin, 1990; alternation of temperature drops and rises Solovyov, 1989; and some others]. in conditions of dry, in general, climate; and the Late Holocene (last 4000–3500 yr) The main purpose of this paper is was characterized by a reduction in the identification of forest-steppe and steppe degree of continentality and an increase of chernozems reactions to climate change the climate humidity [Aleksandrovskii and with different periodicities. Aleksandrovskaya, 2005; Aleksandrovskii and Chendev, 2009; Chendev, 2008]. In respect The stated purpose assumed solution of the to evolution of chernozems in the Holocene following objectives: in the East European Plain, there remain a number of only weakly illuminated questions. – using a number of examples, to show Among these questions: the determination the effectiveness of unequal-age of the exact chronological boundary chernozems properties in paleoclimatic between the Middle and the Late Holocene reconstructions; and identification of the distance of the shift of climatic border between forest-steppe – to discuss the influence of short-term and steppe that occurred at the beginning climate changes on properties and areas of the Late Holocene. The answers to these of chernozems dynamics. questions are discussed in this paper. DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEM, The well-known ideas of the Holocene OBJECTIVES, AND METHODS natural periodization consider only long- term fluctuations in climate, whose tracks Contemporary soil cover within the can be revealed in soil profiles. However, for territory of East European forest-steppe secular variations in the climate background, and steppe began to form in the Early there were short-term variations whose Holocene – approximately 10000 years ago influence on soils and soil cover is studied [Aleksandrovskii, 1983; Gennadiev, 1990; rarely at present. L.V. Klimenko [1992] Ivanov, 1992]. In the study region, climate analyzed seasonal behavior of temperatures, repeatedly changed during the Holocene, using the data provided by a meteorological which led to the time-spatial changes of network, located in the southern half of the the boundaries for natural and soil zones. East European Plain (45°–55°N 30°–50°E) for The natural-climatic periodization of the 1891–1990. In the researcher’s opinion, the Holocene for East Europe according to Blytt- natural fluctuations of the temperature in Sernander [Aleksandrovskii, 1983; Ivanov, both the summer and winter seasons for 1992] is widely known. However recently, the the past 100 years show the presence of appropriateness for wide interpretation of this two large waves of temperature decrease ggi112.inddi112.indd 5 221.03.20121.03.2012 110:05:060:05:06 during the summer time (1920s–1930s and For climate change, the following properties 1970s–1980s); coincident with them were of chernozems were examined: their temperature increases during the winter humus horizons thickness and depth of seasons. L.V. Klimenko explains these by effervescence (depth of the upper boundary finding that similar atmospheric processes of carbonates in the soil profile). Also, we occurring in different seasons can lead to analyzed temporal change in the areas of different climatic effects. For example, since different genetic groups of chernozems the beginning of the 1970s, cyclonic activity (leached, typical, solonetzic) as the reflection increased sharply, and in the cold season, of climate change. positive anomalies of temperature began to GEOGRAPHY appear more frequently, but, in the warm According to the existing ideas, with 6 season, negative anomalies appeared. The an increase in climatic continentality latter result is reflected by an increase in cloudy (strengthening aridization of climate), the weather with precipitation [Klimenko, 1992]. humus horizon thickness and the depth of effervescence decrease, while the area According to A.N. Sazhin and O.V. Kosina of chernozems, characteristic for more arid [2000], in the Northern Hemisphere during the climatic conditions, increase. A decrease in atmosphere circulation epoch of the 1890s– climate continentality (during moistening 1920s, the annual amount of precipitation of climate) causes the opposite processes: exceeded the long-term climatic norm. the humus horizon thickness and the In the 1920s, a new atmospheric regime depth of effervescence grow and the area became established, and this continued into of chernozems, formed under more dry the middle 1950s. During this epoch, global climatic conditions, decreases. temperatures rose, precipitation decreased, which caused more frequent droughts and Paleoclimatic reconstructions based these occurred repeatedly in the ordinary- on data on temporal changes of soil steppe and dry-steppe regions of East Europe. properties were done by the method of From the beginning of the middle 1950s, in soil chronosequences. This method can the extreme southeast of Russia’s European be described as the study of chernozems territory, the climate steadily moistened
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