Evaluation of Selected Basic Soil Properties at the James Ross Island (Antarctica)

• Published in: Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis
• Main Author: Vítězslav Vlček
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Mendel University Press 2016
• Subjects: Antarctica; James Ross Island; soil properties; texture; calcium; phosphorus; Agriculture; S; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Prince Gustav Channel; Ross Island; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.11118/actaun201664030919; https://doaj.org/article/84227e58dcce460eabee68ccefb24b96

This study attempts to summarize the basic soil properties of the selected places in the deglaciated areas on the James Ross Island (Antarctica). James Ross Island is a large island near the north-eastern extremity of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by the Prince Gustav Channel. The island is approximately 2,600 km2 large and is covered in 80% of its surface by a glacier. Deglaciated areas cover relatively young soils developing after the parent substrate was deglaciated, but they still have a greatly varying character (fluvial, glacial, volcanic, possibly also aeolian). We determined in a separated fraction of fine earth following proportions of textural fractions: the average content (±Standard deviation) of clay was 9.9 ± 1.6%; silt 31.9 ± 3.2% and average content of sand was 58.6 ± 2.9%. The content of oxidized carbon (Cox) was very low, the average Cox content was 0.34 ± 0.06%. The average active soil reaction was 6.26 ± 0.45. The average electrical conductivity (EC) was 1242 ± 252 µS.cm−1. The average: calcium content was 1.48 ± 0.34%; magnesium content 1.22 ± 0.19%; phosphorus content was 0.06 ± 0.01%; potassium content of samples was 0.25 ± 0.05% and sodium content was in average 0.46 ± 0.08%.