Chemical properties of organic soils developed from lacustrine chalk near the lakes Strzeszowskie, Sitno, and Sierakowo (Western Pomerania, north Poland)

Abstract

The genesis of organic soils is closely connected with water. The occurrence of carbonate deposits in the central and lower part of organic soil profile points to the link between their genesis and post-glacial lakes. The studies conducted in the years 2009–2012 focused on organic soils near lakes: Strzeszowskie, Sitno (Myśliborskie Lakeland) and Sierakowo (Ińskie Lakeland), north Poland. The goal of the present study was to characterize chemical properties of organic soils developed on carbonate deposits. The examined soils belonged to organic muck and sapric peat soils. They contained variable amount of organic matter (32,4–66,6%). The C/N ratio depended on the degree of mineralization. The soils under study, had a high level of available forms of Ca and low level of P, K, Cu, and Zn. Both in surface and subsurface horizons of muck and sapric peat soils the content of exchangeable cations may be ranked as follows: Ca > Mg > K > Na. Basic cations total in organic horizons was distinctly higher than in calcareous sediments. In organic horizons and limnic deposits, the share of exchangeable form of Ca in the sum of basic cations exceeded 95%.

Limnic Rendzinas in the Mazurian Lakeland (NE Poland)

“…Dehydration of organic soils developed on carbonate sediments leads to the long-lasting or permanent transformations. Mursh formation and increasing effect of the substrate stimulated by cultivation definitively transform the soil environment (Marcinek 1976a, 1976b, Marcinek and Spychalski 1976, 1998, Krzywonos 1992, Meller 2004, Jarnuszewski 2015. Loss of water causes shrinking of gyttja and irreversible changes in colloids (¯urek-Pysz 1992, urek-Pysz and Skalski 2003.…”

“…From that moment, interest in limnic rendzinas, also in other regions of Poland, has been growing. The majority of the research was conducted on organogenic-calcareous, peat-mursh soils covering calcareous gyttja (Olkowski 1967, 1971a, 1971b, Marcinek and Spychalski 1976, 1998, Krzywonos 1992, Meller 2004, Chmieleski 2006Sowiñski and Lemkowska 2010, Jarnuszewski 2015. Limnic rendzinas without the murshic horizon in the uppermost part of the profile are relatively rare and information on them is scarce (Uggla 1956, 1964, 1969, 1976, Zawadzki 1957, Prusinkiewicz and Noryoekiewicz 1975, Konecka-Betley and Stefaniak 1983, Lemkowska and Sowiñski 2008, 2009).…”

Morphological and Physical Properties of Dehydrated Holocene Carbonate Limnic Deposits in Post-Bog Areas of NW Poland

“…Object 2 is located in a subglacial trough -Tywa river valley filled with sand and organic soil. The subglacial gutter crosses a morphologically diverse upland moraine composed of sand and clay [Jarnuszewski 2015]. Object 3 is located in the area of the lake plain covered with biogenic accumulation sediments formed from the ice-dammed lake plains, surrounded by a corrugated moraine rising built of sand, gravel and clay [Jarnuszewski 2015].…”

“…Object 5 is located in the subglacial gutter of Drawsko Lake, which is part of a larger complex of so-called marginal gutter uncovered after the glaciation of the Leszno-Poznań phase filled with clay and patches of sand. Object 6 is located in a small terrain depression of the moraine upland made of sand and glacial tills [Lewandowski, Nita 2008, Jarnuszewski 2015. The average annual temperature in the region ranges from 7.5°C to 8.5°C and the total precipitation ranges from 550 mm to 650 mm [Koźmiński et al 2007].…”

Evolution of shallow post-bog soils developed on Holocene carbonate sediments in NW Poland

“…Mineralisation of organic layers leads to loss of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon to groundwater and lakes, which causes deterioration of water quality in the lake and accelerates the eutrophication process (Geurts et al, 2010;Cabezas et al, 2012). In addition, climate change and the associated rise in temperature and extreme phenomena such as droughts, will accelerate the mineralisation process (Glatzel et al, 2006) and shallow post-bog soils disappearance and restrictions of biodiversity (Jarnuszewski, 2015). This problem has been well recognised in temperate climates covering mainly Europe and North America (Geurts et al, 2010;Cabezas et al, 2012;Fell et al, 2016).…”