Abstract
In this chapter, the physical properties of soils were determined after forest fires in pine forests near the city of Togliatti (Russia) in 2010. The aim of the study was to assess (1) what part organic matter of pyrogenic origin played in the formation of the fire-affected clay fraction and (2) the degree of hydrophobicity of the soil under the influence of pyrogenic exposure. The soil parameters studied were the particle size distribution, solid-phase density, specific surface area, contact angle of soil wetting, soil organic matter content and air-dry moisture. Two methods of particle size distribution were compared: laser diffraction and classical sedimentation methods. The sedimentation method revealed a higher clay content due to underestimation of the density and an increase in black carbon components, rather than an actual increase in very fine earth particles. This method enabled the effect of the pseudo-fraction to be observed, when particles of organic matter, including components of black carbon, partially form a clay fraction that was not there previously. While the set of methods proposed has proven suitable to assess changes in post-fire soils, there is a need to harmonise the methods of particle size distribution. The electrophysical profiling effectively identified the vertical heterogeneity of the soil layers. The contact angle of wetting showed an increase in hydrophobicity in the upper horizons of the soil after fires, especially crown fires. These expose soil to surface runoff and thus a higher risk of erosion. Further, deeper interdisciplinary research is needed to determine soil quality and degradation risks in fire-prone forest ecosystems.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the grant of the Russian Scientific Foundation, project 17-16-01030. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the following people for organising and implementing the research: Prof. Rosenberg G.S., Prof. Saksonov S.V., Dr. Senator S.A. and Prof. Shein E.V.
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Chebykina, E., Abakumov, E. (2022). Changes in Key Physical Soil Properties of Post-pyrogenic Forest Ecosystems: a Case Study of Catastrophic Fires in Russian Sub-boreal Forest. In: Saljnikov, E., Mueller, L., Lavrishchev, A., Eulenstein, F. (eds) Advances in Understanding Soil Degradation. Innovations in Landscape Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85682-3_31
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