Mire peat soils of the taiga and sub-taiga zones of West Siberia on a digital model of the soil map of Russia at a scale of 1 : 2 500 000 in terms of the Russian soil classification

Abstract

A digital version of the soil map of the Russian Federation, scale 1 : 2.5 M, is being prepared based on the analysis of the attributes of polygons with peat soils in the West-Siberian taiga and sub-taiga zones. The correction was perfomed in 795 polygons (with the total area of 179 483 km²) out of 1 711 polygons considered (with the total area of 262 204 km²). The currently formulated idea of the dominance of oligotrophic bogs in the West Siberian taiga region of mires served as the basis for suggestion to replace the mesotrophic peat soils by oligotrophic ones in 598 polygons of the total area of 87 250 km². Similarly, the polygons of microcatenas comprising oligotrophic and mesotrophic peat soils (57 polygons, total area of 38 405 km²) were modified: only oligotrophic peat soils were considered to be the dominant ones there. At the same time, a number of polygons with prevailing oligotrophic soils, confined mainly to the sub-taiga zone were proposed to be replaced by polygons with mesotrophic peat soils. The thermokarst pools in ridge-hollow mire complexes that were shown on the soil map of Russia beyond the permafrost zone were eliminated from the map database; the mapping of destructive peat soils was rearranged in accordance with the new interpretation of this taxon in the Russian soil classification. This work should improve the quality of research in the field of assessing the resource potential of peat soils in West Siberia.