ABSTRACT
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................249 Characteristics of Frozen Soils ......................................................................................................249 Major Issues ...................................................................................................................................250 Knowledge Gaps and Researchable Priorities...............................................................................251 Recommendations ..........................................................................................................................257 References ......................................................................................................................................258
Approximately 50% of earth’s land mass is frozen at sometime during the winter, with 20% of it underlain by permafrost (Sharratt et al., 1997). Similar to soils of other ecosystems, processes and properties of the soils of the cold regions are also to be understood and quantified to ensure stability and minimize adverse effects of natural or anthropogenic perturbations. These soils also contain as much as 40% of the glacial soil C pool, and are now a net sink for atmospheric carbon. Will these soils continue to be a sink even with severe anthropogenic perturbation in the Boreal Forest and Alpine Grassland biomes, and projected global warming of 1 to 4°C with in the next 50 to 100 years (Bengtsson, 1994; IPCC, 1995)? These soils could be a potential source of atmospheric C as CO2 and CH4. Because of their high productivity, the natural ecosystems of the Boreal Forest biome are being converted to managed ecosystems; yet, the impact of such a conversion on soil C pool and fluxes is not very well understood. Assessment of the impact of such a conversion necessitates study of the processes at the soil-atmosphere interface, and within the active layer above the permafrost.
