Evolution of Soils in Northern Eurasia under Climate Changes during the Late Glacial and Holocen

The study examines soil changes in the permafrost regions of the northern part of Western Siberia and the East European Plain (from tundra to sub-taiga), occurring in response to climatic fluctuations during the late glacial period and the Holocene (the last 15,000 years). The main focus is on the impact of temperature regime changes, which limit biological cycles and determine the influence of the thermal-physical properties of soils on pedogenesis processes. Soils are viewed as natural bodies recording changes in climate and landscapes. The study summarizes information on climate changes in northern Eurasia during the late glacial period and the Holocene, addressing the following issues: data on soil evolution under different climate change scenarios; major stages of sedimentation and pedogenesis in northern Western Siberia under hydromorphic and drained landscapes; the gradient of peat formation onset in Western Siberia, from Arctic tundra to sub-taiga; stages of pedogenesis on the Russian Plain and in Western Siberia associated with climate warmings and coolings; the history of the formation of hortic horizons in the southern forest zone of Western Siberia and their fate in connection with recent climate warming. The research is based on the study of natural archives such as peat and gley horizons, the content and composition of organic matter and the mineral part of the soil; cryogenic structures; relict horizons in modern soils; soils buried under natural sediments and archaeological structures. Geographic differences in soil response to climate changes and their relationship to the history of pedogenesis are discussed, with specific examples from various regions provided.