PEDOGENIC GRADIENTS OF THE POLAR REGIONS

• Published in: Journal of Soil Science
• Main Author: TEDROW, J. C. F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1968
• Subjects: Arctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; polar desert; Tundra
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1968.tb01534.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2389.1968.tb01534.x; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1968.tb01534.x/fullpdf

Summary Soils of the polar regions are divided into three zones—Arctic Brown, Polar Desert, and Cold Desert. The Arctic Brown soil coincides approximately with the arctic tundra belt, the Polar Desert zone is penecontiguous with the high arctic, and the Cold Desert zone is represented by the ice‐free sectors of Antarctica. The zones are broad and diffuse. Well‐drained soils of the southern sectors of the Arctic Brown soil zone have embryonic podzolic affinities whereas soils of the northern portions of this same zone exhibit a low temperature calcification process akin to a cold steppe condition. Vascular plants form a continuous mat in the Arctic Brown soil zone but within the Polar Desert soil zone they are patchy or at times completely lacking. In the Polar Desert soils algae and diatoms appear to be the main contributors of soil organic matter. The Cold Desert soils of Antarctica are virtually void of organic matter. The above three soil zones, in effect, are sectors of a pedogenic gradient. Progressing from the northern fringes of the forested land, to colder climates, precipitation decreases, organic matter content of the soil decreases, and soil pH values tend to increase. In the Polar Desert soils, alkaline reactions are common whereas the Cold Desert soils of Antarctica are usually saline. Polar Desert soils and Cold Desert soils have many morphologic affinities. Tundra and Bog soils dominate areally in the main tundra belt but are confined to the local swales and depressions in the high arctic. Both Tundra and Bog soils tend to have higher pH values as one progresses to colder, drier climates. Neither Tundra nor Bog soils have, as yet, been recorded in Antarctica.