Climate warming impact on the carbon balance in forest soils in Russia

The carbon balance in forest soils (CBFS) was studied on the basis of the geostatistical process model “BIGIN” (Biosphere Greenhousegas Inventory). Warming in boreal forests in the baseline period (1990 ± 5 yr.) initiates a shift in the CBFS towards its decrease, i. e. CO2 source. In the horizon “O”, the decrease in the CBFS is minus 101.4 MtC. The warming of the climate by 1.5 °C and 3 °C will cause a further decrease in the CBFS by 345.7 MtC and 691.4 MtC, respectively. In moderately warm forests, climate warming initiates the formation of a positive CBFS, i. e. CO2 sink. In the horizon “O” of the soils of moderately warm forests, climate warming in the baseline period and in the future leads to the development of positive CBFS, i. e. CO2 sink of 62.4 MtC, 212.8 MtC and 425.4 MtC, respectively. Positive changes in the CBFS in boreal and moderately warm forests in the studied range of climatic temperatures were noted in the horizon “A1” (7.3 MtC, 24.9 MtC and 49.8 MtC) and the horizon “Bh” (14.1 MtC, 48.0 MtC, 96.2 MtC). Climate warming initiates a total negative CBFS (minus 17.6 MtC). Further warming of the climate by 1.5 °C and 3.0 °C will lead to a decrease in the CBFS by minus 60.0 MtC and minus 120.0 MtC. In terms of CO2-equivalent, this will amount to 4%, 13% and 27% of the total country annual emission in 2020. Negative CBFS is not an indicator of emission strengthening. The final conclusion about CO2 source/sink can be made only when analyzing the forest ecosystem when conducting a coupled soil-stand analysis. The error in the estimation of the CBFS in the soil organic profile in the baseline period is ± 23.0 MtC at a confidence level of P = 0.67 and ± 47 MtC at a confidence level of P = 0.95. With an increase in temperature by 1.5 °C, the error will be ± 80.0 MtC and ± 160.0 MtC at confidence levels of P = 0.67 and P = 0.95 respectively. The magnitude of the error will be ± 160.0 MtC and ± 320.0 MtC at confidence levels P = 0.67 and P = 0.95 respectively with an increase in temperature by 3.0 °C

Soil quality indicators of arable lands in the Russian Federation

The study presents three groups of Soil Quality Indicators (SQI) of arable lands in the Russian Federation, such as agroclimate conditions, soil parameters and negative soil characteristics. The selection of SQI meets the requirements of the crop growth model for calculating the standard crop yield. The application of SQI in the Grain Equivalent Model allows ranking quality of the soils of agricultural lands in the country. The share of the best quality Chernozems with the standard yield of grain crops exceeding 4 t/ha is about 10%. At the same time, arable Chernozems occupy nearly 66% of total area of agricultural lands. More than 74% of the arable lands including podzolized and leached Chernozems in the northern part and Chernozems southern in the southern part of the agricultural zone are characterized by medium quality with the standard yield of grain crops 2-4 t/ha. About 10% of the arable land occupied by Chestnut solonetzic and saline soils are of poorer quality with the standard yield of grain crops less than 1 t/ha. The proposed indicators are included in the government programs for valuating and monitoring the quality of agricultural lands. The universal validity of indicators is a basis for the development of a new generation of standards for the protection and rational use of soils based on modern digital technologies and GIS approaches

Using a Bias Potential in a Constant and Pulse Modes for Structural Engineering Vacuum Arc Nanocrystalline Coatings of Zirconium Nitride

In order to develop the direction of "structural engineering nitride coatings" in the work conducted systematic analysis of the impact of the negative bias potential (direct and high-voltage pulse) on the structure, substructure and mechanical properties of ZrN coatings obtained by vacuum arc evaporation. Defined boundary value of (– 100 V) DC potential applied to the substrate, below which a high-voltage pulse potential (– 1200 ... – 2000 V quantity that allows to form peaks bias) makes a decisive contribution to the formation of preferred orientation of the crystallites with the [110] axis. The highest values of hardness 43 GPa are achieved at a constant potential -70 V. Supply high-voltage pulse shifts the maximum hardness in the direction of a greater value of the constant potential

Structural engineering of NbN/Cu multilayer coatings by changing the thickness of the layers and the magnitude of the bias potential during deposition

To determine the patterns of structural engineering of vacuum-arc coatings based on niobium nitride in the NbN/Cu multilayer composition, the effect of layer thickness and bias potential on the structural-phase state and physico-mechanical characteristics of vacuum-arc coatings was studie

Morphogenetic basis of the unified state register of soil resources of Russia

Nomenclature and taxonomic diversity of soils and their horizon-profile diagnostics/descriptions define morphogenetic soil indicators used in the Unified State Register of Soil Resources of Russia (with Russian abbreviation of EGRPR). Most of these soil indicators are of non-metric origin, i.e., established conventionally by agreement. Subject area of soil science includes a hierarchy of 5 types of soil objects (pit, profile, horizon, morphological element and sample), 380 indicators, 607 methods and 3019 values of the indicators

Development of the conceptual framework for soil protection and management in the European Union

The concepts defining the policy of soil protection and rational use (SPRU) in the European Union (EU) are considered. It is found that the focuses of SPRU have evolved significantly since the early 1990s. Initially the SPRU was not considered separately, it was associated with the protection of other environment components, for example, soil соntamination resulting from air pollution or the disposal of industrial and municipal wastes. In 2006 the stand-alone EU Soil Protection Strategy was established. This document was focused on soil protection against physical degradation (erosion, compaction, sealing, etc.) and on preservation of soil functions. The new Soil Strategy 2030 is based on the provisions of the previous Strategy document and is primarily aimed at improving soil health. Special attention is paid to the conservation of soils as a spatial resource and its efficient use in the system of a circular (closed-loop economy) economy. Looking at the evolution of the EU policy towards the SPRU, it can be concluded that the main development has led to an understanding of the importance of soil health and awareness of the need to conserve soil as multi-target spatial and functional basis for human health, wildlife and climate

Increasing the efficiency of investments on survey of abundant land for their return to agricultural us

The "“State program for the effective involvement of abundant agricultural land in the use and the development of the reclamation complex of the Russian Federation” for 2021–2030" assumes the return of 12 million hectares out of 44 million hectares of all abandoned agricultural land (AAL) in the Russian Federation. The costs of 12 million hectares survey can be considered productive, while the costs of surveying the remaining 32 million hectares should be considered unproductive. The application of the new geoinformation database of “Soils of agricultural lands of the Russian Federation” (DB SALRU) developed by the Federal Research Centre “V.V Dokuchaev Soil Sience Institute” allows reduction of unproductive costs. By the example of the Vladimir region, a typical Russian region with AAL, the option of ranking AAL by their quality was demonstrated to determine the order of their return to agricultural use. The soil quality criteria are the bonitet and the normative yield of grain crops, which are part of the DB SALRU. It is proposed to consider the expenditures on the survey of AAL for the soils, which are first to be returned to agricultural use, as productive costs. These soils occupy 25% of the AAL of the region. The best quality soils are characterized by more than 40 points of bonitet and the standard yield of grain crops of more than 20 centners/ha. The cost of surveying the lands of the first order of returning to agricultural use is 10 million 80 thousand rubles. Survey of AAL soils of II–IV orders of involvement in agricultural use, with relatively poor quality compared to the soils of the first order, is proposed to be conducted in the case of expansion of the State program in the future. This would save the unproductive expenses for the survey of AAL for the Vladimir region by 30 million 165.5 thousand rubles. The application of the proposed GIS-approach makes it possible to reduce unproductive expenses for the survey of AAL in the Russian Federation nearly by 5.600 million rubles

Methodological approaches to the formation of a unified national system of monitoring and accounting of carbon balance and greenhouse gas emissions on lands of the agricultural fund of the Russian Federation

Methodological approaches to the formation of a unified national system for monitoring and accounting the balance of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions are considered. The purpose, typification, requirements for the spatial placement of “carbon” polygons, assessment of the carbon absorption capacity of forests and agricultural ecosystems in the Russian Federation, the standard methodology recommended by the international community for assessing carbon stocks in soils, which should be applied in the Russian Federation to ensure comparability of the results of greenhouse gas accounting between countries, determination of the carbon absorption capacity of natural ecosystems and soils are discussed. The potential of carbon uptake by agricultural soils is shown. The list of indicators for assessing soil carbon according to the IPCC methodology for Tiers 2 and 3 is given. Taking into account the analysis of international practice, as well as on the basis of theoretical and applied experience of national science, the priority measures have been developed, they are aimed at working out and implementation of the national strategy for the use of terrestrial ecosystems in order to regulate greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change

Ranking of acidic soils by priority of liming in the Russian Federation

Excessively acidic soils account for one third of arable land in the Russian Federation (35.1 million ha). Over the post-reform period (1990–2019), the relative share of acidic soils increased by 2%, due to a sharp decrease in the area of liming, and thus restoration of acidic properties of genetically acidic soils previously limed, as well as the involvement in agricultural use of some abandoned fields and fallows covered by acidic soils. This paper demonstrates a new approach to prioritize areas for liming by the example of the Vladimir region. The study makes use of newly established database “Soils of agricultural lands in the Russian Federation” which includes 10,000 soil quality typological unites and 57,678 soil quality mapping units (SQMU). National “Grain equivalent model” calculates the standard yields for grain crops by each SQMU. The GIS analysis allows joining spatial distribution of soil acidity and standard yields of grains in order to determine the priority areas for lime application. Acidic soils with the highest grains standard yield are proposed to be considered as high-priority ones for liming. Application of the given method in two districts of the Vladimir region showed significant reduction in the payback period of liming

Global climate and soil cover – implications for land use in Russia

The necessity of a comprehensive description of greenhouse gas fluxes on different types of soils, the methodology for creating “carbon polygons” and “carbon farms” with the use of modern methods for assessing carbon fluxes in ecosystems, taking into account the specifics of the natural conditions of Russia and competitive advantages, are substantiated. Directions for developing national methods for calculating carbon fluxes are given, which should be subjected to verification by the interested parties of the Paris Agreement adopted by the Russian Federation. Such issues are considered as the role and potential of the Russian soil cover in the carbon balance of the planet, factors of reducing carbon stocks from the upper 1 meter depth layer of the soil, competitive edge in the EU and the Western world in the questions of natural and climatic changes, the use of remote sensing of the Earth from space in order to obtain regular, complete and reliable estimates of the absorption of greenhouse gases