Soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) storage pattern in eastern Siberia is quite different from those of previous intensively reviewed data sets of boreal terrestrial ecosystems. Larch taiga soils in Yakutian Plain and grassland soils in thermokarsts were not podzolic but alkaline with diverse SOC storage ranging from 4.7 to 67.3 kgC/m3, and TN ranging from 0.4 to 5.6 kgN/m3, respectively. Calcium carbonate (CC) was highly accumulated in grassland soils, ranging from 2.3 to 11.6 kgC/m3. Soil C/N ratio were rather low ranging from 9 to 13.

Most of northern forest tundra soils in lower Lena and Kolyma lowland had relatively large SOC (7.2 - 30.3 kgC/m3) and TN (0.8 - 2.1 kgN/m3) storage, with low C/N ratio (9 - 15).

Forest tundra soils on a terrace with Eriophorum dominant surface and wet bog tundra soils had large SOC storage (33 - 86 kgC/m3), with high C/N ratio (19 - 34). Taiga soils in central Siberia and mountain forest tundra soils of central and eastern Siberia, however, had high C/N ratios (19 - 24). These SOC, CC, TN storage and C/N ratio are accounted for,(i)severe continental climate condition and vegetation at present time, and (ii)the differences between soils parent materials which were humus rich sediments without glaciation in Pleistocene and Holocene.

Yojiro Matsuura
Hokkaido Res.Ctr.,
Forestry & For. Prod. Res. Institute,
7 Hitsujigaoka, Toyohira, Sapporo 062
JAPAN
tel:+81-11-851-4131
fax:+81-11-851-4167
e-mail:orijoy@ffpri-hkd.affrc.go.jp