On the History of the Klyazma Floodplain Research in the Territory of the EE SEC “Chashnikovo”

Some historical data were presented on the study of the soil and vegetation cover of the Chashnikovo expansion of the Klyazma River, as well as the results of research on parent materials, soils, the composition of the snow cover, and the distribution of elements in the supra-aquatic landscape of the Educational and Experimental Soil and Ecological Center of Lomonosov Moscow State University “Chashnikovo” (EE SEC “Chashnikovo”), which includes the floodplain soils of the Klyazma River. The parent materials in this territory were as follows: alluvial deposits occupying 14.5% of the total area; peat underlain by deluvial deposits—13.2%; peat underlain by alluvial deposits—12.9%; and alluvial deposits underlain by peat—8.4%. Nine subtypes of alluvial soils, belonging to five types, were identified. Meadow-bog alluvial soils predominated, covering 35.8% of the floodplain area. Acid meadow alluvial soils (21.2%), silty-peat bog alluvial soils (18.9%), acid soddy alluvial soils (15.5%), and silty-humus-gley bog alluvial soils (8.6%) were also distinguished. The spatial distribution and chemical composition of the snow cover in the supra-aquatic landscape of the TESEC were studied based on nine selected sampling points. The average snow depth in the floodplain area was 37.8 cm. Snow storage amounted to 118.8 kg m‒2, with an average snow density of 0.32 g cm‒3. The snow within the supra-aquatic landscape of the EE SEC “Chashnikovo” was characterized by a low component content and belonged to the bicarbonate-calcium-sodium-magnesium class. This zone was characterized by low concentrations of the main components in snow water, as it was located at a distance from the Moscow–St. Petersburg M-10 highway and populated areas. In the near-terrace part of the floodplain, relatively high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and potassium were observed in soil solutions. In the depressions of the central floodplain, a marked increase was noted in the contents of sodium, iron, and chloride ions, as well as, among trace elements, chromium, copper, zinc, and strontium. In the soil of the elevated part of the central floodplain, which had already entered the automorphic stage of development, a decrease in the concentrations of most cations and anions was observed. Iron and manganese were the predominant elements in the composition of neoformations in floodplain soils. Among heavy metals, lead ranked first in terms of accumulation.