Use of Soil Survey Database for the Probabilistic Evaluation of Soil Cover Transformation in the Semiarid Zone of Western Siberia

Abstract

The knowledge of soil properties, state of soil cover, and soil-forming processes is necessary for the understanding of landscapes and to plan ameliorative and engineering approaches for reclamation and their uses for agricultural purposes. In the semiarid zone of Western Siberia, it has been shown that the soil survey database can be used for probabilistic estimations and modeling of soil cover changes. Probability distributions were determined for chestnut soil properties, which are suitable for the reliable and holistic evaluation of the effect of soil-forming factors on soil properties and, hence, for comparisons of current and future anthropogenic and natural changes. The divergence of soil properties under deflation, long-term plowing, and irrigation by low-mineralized water with sodium bicarbonate was investigated.