Soil orders and their associated environmental elements Essay

Soil orders and their associated environmental elements - Essay Example Gley tundra soils are formed in the conditions of permanent water saturation and low temperatures. They are typical for landscape-geographical zones of the tundra, and located on plains illustrative of eternal frost. Another characteristic feature of tundra soils is their formation without great influence of the vegetation. â€Å"The exact character of these soils depends on the ground ice position, slope and the vegetation. If the slope is stable, peaty soils are formed due to slow organic and chemical action. In case of steep slopes, thin soils result† (Pujari). Considering the shallow depth of melting in summer ground, and below it the beginning of a frozen horizon, even a seasonal thawing layer is characterized by low temperature and is over-soppy with water, which cannot seep into the deeper land layers. All this slows down the activity of micro-organisms, decomposition cause of plant residues, and the formation of soils. For inhibit access of oxygen, tundra soils are fea tured with a bluish-grey gley horizon. The surface of tundra soils is often complicated with hummocky micro-relief. They are acid, poor in grounds, with scanty reserves of nutrients. Consequently, fertility of tundra soils is low. This is due to their relative youthful age and lack of activity of biological processes. As for the associated climate of gley tundra soils, it is subarctic with extremely long-lasting winter. As most of the tundra lies within the Arctic Circle, it experiences winter polar night. The severity of winter depends on the continentality. As a rule, the tundra practically has no climatic summer, or the latter comes for short time. The average temperature of the warmest month (July or August) is 50-59  °F. In summer all vegetation rises with the polar day oncoming (or the white nights in those parts of the tundra, where the polar day does not reach). May and September is spring and autumn. Tundra soils are characterized