Fedotova A.V., Yemelyanenko V.I. ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIC CARBON STOCKS IN ARID DEGRADED SOILS OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 61-68. | PDF

As of now, carbon management of dry regions receives little research attention. Therefore, in this article we discuss the results of assessing and comparing organic carbon reserves in arid soils of varying degrees of degradation in the arid zone of the southern part of Russia (Astrakhan Region). Based on the data analysis of 263 soil profiles, we established that organic carbon reserves decrease as the soil degradation intensifies. We discovered a significant spatial variability both between and within biogeocenoses. Our results showed that automorphic soils have a lower ability to sequester organic carbon, compared to hydromorphic soils. In automorphic ones, carbon reserves are 9.37±1.02 t ha^-1, which is 4 times lower than in hydromorphic ones – 37.01±2.34 t ha^-1. Additionally, we discovered that in the complete absence of vegetation cover organic carbon reserves in the hydromorphic coastal solonchaks of the crustal solonchaks with a severe degradation are at the same level with the reserves in automorphic zonal soils.

Funding. The work was carried out as part of the state assignment No. FNFE-2025-0012of the Federal Scientific Center for Agroecology, Complex Reclamation and Protective Forestry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Keywords: carbon, arid soils, desertification, degradation, automorphic soils, hydromorphic soils.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-61-68

EDN: JOPMDY