Change in the Reserves of Active Elements and the Thermal Regime of Natural and Anthropogenically Modified Soils of the Nazarovskaya Forest Steppe

Abstract

The paper presents findings on the change in the content and reserves of water-soluble forms of calcium, magnesium, and organic and inorganic carbon and the moisture of natural and anthropogenically modified soils, as well as the temperature change in natural soils at different locations. The relevance of the study is driven by the need to analyze changes in the considered parameters under short-term climate changes in the isolated forest steppe of the Nazarovskaya Depression. The study involved generally adopted methods, e.g., landscape geochemical, comparative analytical, comparative geographical, and statistical methods. The maximum moisture reserves were found in meadow–wetland soil, and the minimal reserves were found in meadow–chernozem leached soil. The values were close for ordinary chernozem of the meadow subtype and its anthropogenic modification (fallow), which can be attributed to their location in the relief and hydrothermal regime. It was experimentally established that ordinary chernozem of the meadow subtype (in situ) features a temperature curve with a steeper slope, lower freeze temperatures, and a longer period with negative temperatures than meadow–wetland soil. New knowledge was obtained on the change in the reserves of water-soluble forms of calcium, magnesium, organic and inorganic carbon, moisture content, and fluctuations of climate parameters, e.g., air temperature and total precipitations. The study identified annual variations in the temperature of natural soils (in situ) of the isolated forest steppe for a more complete understanding of dynamics of the natural processes and for their use in further research on an isolated forest-steppe in a changing climate.