Effect of Slope Position on Soil Particle-Size Distribution in Young Glacial Landscape (£Yna River Valley, NE Poland)
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DE DE GRUYTER 140 OPEN PAWE£ SOWIÑSKI SOIL SCIENCE ANNUAL DOI: 10.1515/ssa-2016-0017 Vol. 67 No. 3/2016: 140–150 PAWE£ SOWIÑSKI University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Environmental Management and Agriculture, Department of Soil Science and Land Reclamation, Plac £ódzki 3, 10-957 Olsztyn, Poland Effect of slope position on soil particle-size distribution in young glacial landscape (£yna River valley, NE Poland) Abstract: The aim of this paper was to characterize soil particle-size distribution (PSD) of in the middle part of young glacial £yna River valley in relation to parent materials, soil forming processes and slope position. The study comprised rusty soils, areno- sols, clay-illuvial soils, colluvial and alluvial soils located in four slope position: summit / midslope, footslope / toeslope, upper and lower part of floodplain. In order to describe the sedimentological environment and possible heterogenity of the soil formations, sedimentological and granulometric indices were calculated. The relationships between soil fractions in A horizons and environmental variables (slope position and depth of A horizon) were determined using principal component analysis (PCA). The studied soils were poorly sorted with various values of skewness of granulometric distribution (symmetrical, fine and very fine skewed) and kurtosis (mainly very leptokurtic). The value of mean grain diameter was decreasing with slope position which may suggest high dynamics and energy of sedimentological environment in the middle part of £yna River valley. The analysis of granu- lometric indices revealed that colluvial deposits were the most homogenous and alluvial formations were the most heterogenous. The results of the statistical analysis showed a positive correlation of the amounts of clay and silt fractions with depth of A horizons. The factor responsible for variability of these fractions was the position on the slope. The A horizons in soils located at the summit and footslope had the highest amounts of sand fractions. While significant increase in the share of finer fractions in soils located in the floodplain was noted. Keywords: particle-size distribution, sedimentological indices, granulometric indices, slope INTRODUCTION lithogenic and pedogenic processes, is frequently the primary indicator of soil origin and systematic position Particle-size distribution (PSD) determines soil (Musztyfaga and Kaba³a 2015, Mycielska-Dowgia³³o quality and use (Prusinkiewicz and Proszek 1990). 1980, Prusinkiewicz and Proszek 1990, Prusinkiewicz The PSD influences soil physical (bulk density, et al. 1994, Racinowski et al. 2001, Œwitoniak 2015, porosity, water relations etc.) and chemical (sorptive Zagórski 1996). These analyses may also answer the properties, organic matter composition, content of questions about the degree of soil cover transformation elements etc.) properties directly and/or indirectly. in a given region. Based on the quantitative proportions of soil particles Young glacial river valleys of northern Poland have of different diameter it is also possible to determine diverse soil cover. It is related to the nature of accu- certain soil physical properties (Bittelli et al. 1999, mulated soil parent materials and diversity of soil Brogowski 1990, Brogowski et al. 2014, Brogowski processes (Jonczak and Kowalkowski 2013, Smól- and Kwasowski 2014, 2015). Interpretation of the czyñski et al. 2013). Particularly noteworthy are the PSD and the use of sedimentological and granulometric river valleys where the rivers use outwash trails indices allow to determine the origin of sedimentary formed as a result of glacifluvial outflow during environments of soil formations. This is particularly Vistulian glaciation. Such land forms are surrounded important when natural lithogenic and pedogenic by glacial tills of ground moraine. In the river valley, processes overlap with human-induced processes fluvioglacial as well as alluvial, colluvial and organic transforming natural environment (Kaba³a and Ma- deposits were accumulated (Bieniek 2013, Gliñska- rzec 2010, Smolska 2005, Sowiñski 2014, Œwitoniak Lewczuk et al. 2014, Piaœcik et al. 2004, Sowiñski et 2014). Therefore, the PSD analysis is commonly used al. 2016). Mineral deposits in these valleys are in order to estimate natural and anthropogenic characterized by different sedimentary environments processes of soil erosion and denudation (Zhao et al. (Mycielska-Dowgia³³o 1980, Racinowski et al. 2001). 2011). Moreover, the PSD, which is the result of In these soils various processes overlap, particularly * Dr. Pawe³ Sowiñski, [email protected] http://ssa.ptg.sggw.pl/issues/2016/673 Soil particle-size distribution on slope 141 in transition zones of footslopes and floodplains les were collected from genetic horizons. Particle-size (Booth et al. 2013, Sklar et al. 2016). Individual soil distribution of the fine earths (<2 mm) was analysed fractions are translocated and accumulated as a according to hydrometer method of Bouyoucos result of colluvial and alluvial processes (Smólczyñ- modified by Cassagrande and Prószyñski with the ski et al. 2013, Sowiñski 2014, Sowiñski et al. 2016). separation of sand sub-fractions by dry sieving (Ry- It may affect spatial distribution of soils and their ¿ak et al. 2009). The soil texture classes were deter- properties in young-glacial river valleys. mined according to the classification of PTG (2009) The aim of this paper was to analyze the effect of and USDA classification system (Schoeneberger et slope position on soil particle-size distribution in al. 2012). The results of PSD analysis (percentage of young glacial £yna River valley by: (1) vertical and fractions) were analyzed with the SIEWCA software horizontal distribution of soil fractions in four slope (BJB 2010) in order to draw granulometric curves positions, (2) determination of sedimentological and and calculate sedimentological indices according to granulometric indices, (3) determination of relationship Folk and Ward (1957). The following indices were between soil fractions and environmental variables used for granulometric analyzes: mean diameter (Md), (slope position and depth of A horizon) by using standard deviation (d1), skewness (Sk1) and kurtosis a multivariate method of PCA. (KG). Granulometric indices were also calculated, determining the relative proportions between fractions MATERIALS AND METHODS of bigger diameter (Kowalkowski and Prusinkiewicz 1963). These parameters can be helpful in predicting The study was carried out in the middle part of the initial homogeneity or heterogeneity of soil the £yna River valley (Fig. 1), NE Poland at three material. Ratios between soil fractions were calculated soil sequences, representing young glacial landscape. (φ in mm) A = 0.25–0.10/0.50–0.25, B = 0.25–0.10/ The origin of this landscape is related to activity of 1.00–0.50, C = 0.25–0.05/0.50–0.25, D = 0.25–0.02/ a glacier in the Pomeranian Phase of the Vistulian 1.00–0.25, E = 0.50–0.05/1.0–0.50. glaciation (Pleistocene) as well as melting waters, The studied soils were classified according to the alluvial and colluvial processes in the Holocene. Polish Soil Classification System (2011) and WRB Three soil transects in Knopin (A – profiles 1–4), system (IUSS Working Group WRB 2015). Smolajny (B – profiles 5–11) and £aniewo (C – pro- For the identification of primary environmental files 1–16) villages were selected (Fig. 1). Analyzed gradients affecting particle-size distribution in soils, soil profiles were grouped according to their position multivariate statistical analyses involving a linear on the slope: summit / midslope, footslope / toeslo- indirect method of Principal Component Analysis pe, upper and lower parts of floodplain. More deta- (PCA) was applied using default (standard) options. iled description of the sites was presented in previo- The data were transformed to logarithms log(n+1) to us papers (Gliñska-Lewczuk et al. 2014, Sowiñski et meet conditions of normality. For the ordination analysis al. 2016). In total 49 soil samples from 16 soil profi- CANOCO 4.5 software was used (ter Braak and Šmi- lauer 2002). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Particle-size distribution and soil texture classes In the middle part of the £yna river valley glacial tills, fluvioglacial, alluvial and colluvial deposits occur. It is related to the formation of the valley itself, which uses the Pleistocene outwash trail that was formed during the glacifluvial outflow during the Vistulian glaciation (Bieniek 2013). The studied soils showed a specific spatial distribution pattern (Table 1). Typical rusty soils (in Polish: gleby rdzawe typowe) and arenosols (in Polish: arenosole) developed from fine and medium sands of fluvioglacial origin (Table 2, Fig. 2) occurred on the FIGURE 1. Location of soil profiles in transects summit and midslope. These soils contained minor 142 PAWE£ SOWIÑSKI TABLE 1. Systematic position of the studied soils according to PSC 2011 and WRB 2015 Profile No. / land use PSC 2011 WRB 2015* Transect A (Knopin) 1 / grassland Typical rusty soil (Gleba rdzawa typowa) Dystric Brunic Arenosol (Ochric, Aric) 2 / grassland Arenosol (Arenosol) Dystric Arenosol (Aric, Ochric, Protocalcic) 3 / grassland Proper colluvial soil (Gleba deluwialna w³aœciwa)** Haplic Umbrisol (Arenic, Colluvic) 4 / grassland Proper colluvial soil (Gleba deluwialna w³aœciwa)** Eutric Arenosol (Pantocolluvic, Ochric, Bathycalcaric) Transect B (Smolajny) 5 / arable land Typical clay-illuvial soil (Gleba p³owa typowa) Luvic Phaeozem