A dataset of microstructure features and physicochemical properties of soils of the solonetzic complex in 2022 (Caspian lowland)

Abstract

The fact of global climate change is generally recognized by the world scientific community. However, the spatial distribution of climatic parameters is very heterogeneous. In this regard, studies of the local response of individual territories to global climate change are of particular importance. The nature of dry-steppe and semi-desert regions is most vulnerable to climatic fluctuations. The soil cover of the Caspian lowland is characterized by the predominance of saline and saline soils, which react quickly to even small climate changes. At the same time, long-term climate changes can affect such stable soil characteristics as granulometric composition and microstructure. This article presents data collected on the territory near the Dzhanybek Research Station of the Institute of Forest Science RAS. The studied object is represented by microcatena of light chestnut soils with varying degrees of severity of the saline process which is located in the saline complex between the I and II belts of the Chapaevsk-Vladimirovka State Forest Wind Belt. The height range between the studied pits is 4 cm. The dataset includes data on soil grain size distribution, organic carbon content, the composition of absorbed bases, the salt composition of soil-water extract and microphotographs of the state of the light chestnut soils in 2022. This year is a reference point for further long-term monitoring of changes in soil properties and assessment of their dependence on climate change.

Keywords

• Micromorphology
• Grain size distribution
• Absorbed bases
• Salt composition
• Soil organic carbon