Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T10:10:49.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Review of Pedogenic Zonation in Well-Drained Soils of the Southern Circumpolar Region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

James G. Bockheim
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Fiorenzo C. Ugolini
Affiliation:
College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195

Abstract

The concept of zonality is used to link well-drained mineral soils and processes along a bioclimatic gradient extending from ca. 48° to 87° S, including southernmost Chile, the subantarctic islands, and maritime and continental Antarctica. The following environmental factors decline along this gradient: mean annual temperature and precipitation and the type and number of plant species. Six pedological zones (along with representative soils) are identified along the gradient: (1) Subantarctic Forest Zone (Podzol?), (2) Subantarctic Low Tundra zone, (3) Subantarctic High Tundra Zone (Subantarctic Brown soil, without permafrost), (4) Antarctic Sub-Polar Desert Zone (Subantarctic Brown soil, with permafrost), (5) Antarctic Polar Desert Zone (Red Ahumisol), and (6) Cold Desert Zone (Ahumisol). Zonal mineral soils in the Subantarctic Forest and Low Tundra Zones are rare, because large amounts of precipitation (≥2500 mm) and cool summers have led to thick accumulation of peat. Whereas the processes of rubification, melanization, and peat accumulation decline in relative magnitude southward, the processes of salinization and desert pavement formation increase in relative importance along this bioclimatic gradient. Carbonation and pervection (silt and clay migration) are maximized in the Subantarctic Tundra and Antarctic Polar Desert Zones. Because of the limited amount of land between 40° and 65° S and the presence of the Antarctic Convergence, comparable pedogenic zones occur at lower latitudes in the Southern than in the Northern Circumpolar Region.

Type
Articles
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, S.E. Heal, O.W., (1970). Soils of the maritime Antarctic zone Holdgate, M.W. Anarctic Ecology 693696 Google Scholar
Baldwin, M. Kellogg, C.E. Thorp, J., (1938). Soil classification Soils and Men Yearbook of Agriculture U.S.D.A 9791001 1938 Google Scholar
Bliss, L.C., (1979). Vascular plant vegetation of the southern circumpolar region in relation to antarctic, alpine and arctic vegetation Canadian Journal of Botany 57 21672178 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bockheim, J.G., (1979). Relative age and origin of soils in eastern Wright Valley, Antarctica Soil Science 128 142152 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bockheim, J.G., (1980). Properties and classification of some desert soils in coarse-textured glacial drift in the arctic and antarctic Geoderma 24 4569 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonner, W.N. Walton, D.W.H., (1985). Key Environments Antarctica Pergamon New York Google Scholar
Cameron, R.L. Ford, A.B., (1974). Baselin analyses of soils from the Pensacola Mountains Antarctic Journal of the United States 9 116119 Google Scholar
Cameron, R.L. King, J. David, C.N., (1970). Soil microbial ecology of Wheeler Valley, Antarctica Soil Science 109 110120 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameron, R.L. Lacy, G.H. Morelli, F.A., (1971). Farthest south soil microbial and ecological investigations Antarctic Journal of the United States 6 105106 Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B., (1981). Soil pattern of Campbell Island New Zealand Journal of Science 24 111135 Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B. Claridge, G.G.C., (1968). Soils of the Shackleton Glacier region, Queen Maud Range, Antarctica New Zealand Journal of Science 11 171218 Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B. Claridge, G.G.C., (1968). Soils in the vicinity of Edisto Inlet, Victoria Land, Antarctica New Zealand Journal of Science 11 498520 Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B. Claridge, G.G.C., (1969). A classification of frigic soils—The zonal soils of the Antarctic continent Soil Science 107 7585 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, I.B. Claridge, G.G.C., (1975). Morphology and age relationships of Antarctic soils Suggate, R.P. Cresswell, M.M. Quaternary Studies The Royal Society of New Zealand Wellington 8388 Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B. Claridge, G.G.C., (1987). Antarctica: Soils, Weathering Processes and Environment Elsevier New York Developments in Soil Science 16 Google Scholar
Claridge, G.G.C., (1965). The clay mineralogy and chemistry of some soils from the Ross Dependency, Antarctica New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 8 186220 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claridge, G.G.C. Campbell, I.B., (1977). The salts in Antarctic soils, their distribution and relationship to soil processes Soil Science 123 377384 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claridge, G.G.C. Campbell, I.B., (1984). Mineral transformation during weathering of dolerite under cold arid conditions in Antarctica New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 27 537545 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claridge, G.G.C. Campbell, I.B., (1985). Physical geography—Soils Bonner, W.N. Walton, D.W.H. Key Environments Antarctica Pergamon New York 6270 Google Scholar
Duchaufour, P., (1982). Pedology Allen & Unwin London (Translated by T. R. Paton) CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dudley, T.R. Crow, G.E., (1983). A Contribution to the Flora and Vegetation of Isla de los Estados (Staten Island), Tierra del Fuego, Argentina American Geophysical Union Washington, DC Antarctic Research Series 37 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Everett, K.R., (1976). A survey of the soils in the region of the South Shetland Islands and adjacent parts of the Antarctic Peninsula Institute of Polar Studies Report 58 Ohio State University Columbus Google Scholar
French, D.D. Smith, V.R., (1985). A comparison between northern and southern hemisphere tundras and related ecosystems Polar Biology 5 521 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, E.K. Wentworth, S.J. McKay, D.S., (1983). Chemical weathering and diagenesis of a Cold Desert soil from Wright Valley, Antarctica: An analog of Martian weathering processes Journal of Geophysical Research 88 A912A928 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glinka, K.D., (1931). Treatise on Soil Science Translated from Russian, published for National Science Foundation, Israel Program for Scientific Translations 1963, Jerusalem Google Scholar
Holdgate, M.W., (1961). Vegetation and soils in the South Chilean Islands Journal of Ecology 49 559580 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holdgate, M.W., (1970). Holdgate, M.W. Antarctic Ecology Vol. 2 Academic Press New York 729732 Google Scholar
Jenkin, J.F., (1975). Macquarie Island, Subantarctic Rosswall, T. Heal, O.W. Structure and Function of Tundra Ecosystems Ecological Bulletin 20 Swedish Natural Science Research Council Stockholm 375397 Google Scholar
Jenny, H., (1941). Factors of Soil Formation McGraw-Hill New York CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keys, J.R. Williams, K., (1981). Origin of crystalline, cold desert salts in the McMurdo region, Antarctica Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 45 22992309 Google Scholar
Kubiena, W.L., (1970). Micromorphological Features of Soil Geography Rutgers Univ. Press New Brunswick, NJ Google Scholar
Leamy, M.L. Blakemore, L.C., (1960). The peat soils of the Auckland Islands New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 3 526546 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindsay, J.F., (1973). Ventifact evolution in Wright Valley, Antarctica Geological Society of America Bulletin 84 17911798 2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCraw, J.D., (1960). Soils of the Ross Dependency, Antarctica New Zealand Society of Soil Science Proceedings 4 3035 Google Scholar
McCraw, J.D., (1967). Soils of Taylor Dry Valley, Victoria Land, Antarctica, with notes on soils from other localities in Victoria Land New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 10 498539 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McFadden, L.D. Wells, S.G. Jercinovich, M.J., (1987). Influences of eolian and pedogenic processes on the origin and evolution of desert pavements Geology 15 504508 2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacNamara, E.E., (1969). Pedology of Enderby Land, Antarctica Antarctic Journal of the United States 4 208210 Google Scholar
MacNamara, E.E., (1969). Soils and geomorphic surfaces in Antarctica Biuletyn Peryglacjalny 20 299320 Google Scholar
MacNamara, E.E., (1969). Active layer development and soil moisture dynamics in Enderby Land, East Antarctica Soil Science 108 345349 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacNamara, E.E. Usselman, T., (1972). Salt minerals in soil profiles and as surficial crusts and efflorescences, coastal Enderby Land, Antarctica Geological Society of America Bulletin 83 31453150 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Brien, R.M.G. Romans, J.C.C. Robertson, L., (1979). Three soil profiles from Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands British Antarctic Survey Bulletin 47 112 Google Scholar
Orvig, S., (1970). Climates of the Polar Regions Elsevier New York Google Scholar
Paton, T.R., (1978). The Formation of Soil Material Allen & Unwin London Google Scholar
Peterson, L., (1976). Podzols and Podzolization DSR Forlag Copenhagen Google Scholar
Smith, J., (1960). Cryoturbation data from South Georgia Biuletyn Peryglacjalny 8 7276 Google Scholar
Smith, R.I.L. Walton, D.W.H., (1975). South Georgia, sub-Antarctic Rosswall, T. Heal, O.W. Structure and Function of Tundra Ecosystems Ecological Bulletin 20 Swedish Natural Science Research Council Stockholm 399423 Google Scholar
Smith, V.R., (1977). The chemical composition of Marion Island soils, plants and vegetation South African Journal of Antarctic Research 7 2839 Google Scholar
Springer, M.E., (1958). Desert pavement and vesicular layer of some soils of the desert of the Lahontan Basin, Nevada Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 22 6366 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, B.W., (1955). The flora, vegetation and soils of Macquarie Island Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition Reports Ser. B 2 1192 Google Scholar
Tedrow, J.C.F., (1968). Pedogenic gradients of the polar regions Journal of Soil Science 19 197204 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tedrow, J.C.F., (1977). Soils of the Polar Landscapes Rutgers Univ. Press New Brunswick, NJ Google Scholar
Tedrow, J.C.F. Ugolini, F.C., (1966). Antarctic soils Tedrow, J.C.F. Antarctic Soils and Soil Forming Processes American Geophysical Union, Antarctic Research Series 8 161177 Google Scholar
Thompson, D.C. Craig, R.M.F. Bromley, A.M., (1971). Climate and surface heat balance in an Antarctic dry valley New Zealand Journal of Science 14 245251 Google Scholar
Ugolini, F.C., (1970). Antarctic soils and their ecology Holdgate, M.W. Antarctic Ecology Vol. 2 Academic Press New York 673692 Google Scholar
Ugolini, F.C., (1977). The protoranker soils and the evolution of an ecosystem at Kar Plateau, Antarctica Llano, G.A. Adaptations within Antarctic Ecosystems: Proceedings of the Third SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 10911110 Google Scholar
Ugolini, F.C., (1986). Pedogenic zonation in the welldrained soils of the arctic regions Quaternary Research 26 100120 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ugolini, F.C. Bull, C., (1965). Soil development and glacial events in Antarctica Quaternaria 7 251269 Google Scholar
United States Soil Survey Staff Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys (1975). Soil Conservation Service, U.S.D.A Washington, D.C Agricultural Handbook 436 Google Scholar
Wace, N.M., (1961). The vegetation of Gough Island Ecological Monographs 31 337367 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walton, D.W.H., (1985). The sub-antarctic islands Bonner, W.N. Walton, D.W.H. Key Environments Antarctica Pergamon New York 293317 Google Scholar
Weyant, W.S., (1966). The antarctic climate Tedrow, J.C.F. Antarctic Soils and Soil Forming Processes American Geophysical Union, Antarctic Research Series 8 4759 Google Scholar
Young, S.B., (1972). Subantarctic rain forest of Magellanic Chile: Distribution, composition, and age and growth rate studies of common forest trees Llano, G.A. Antarctic Terrestrial Biology Antarctic Research Series 20 American Geophysical Union Washington, DC 307322 CrossRefGoogle Scholar