Abstract
In the coastal regions of Antarctica, soil formation occurs to a greater extent than previously thought (Blume et al. 1997; Beyer et al. 1999). Soil formation can be found in accordance with humid climate conditions, as physical and chemical weathering which results in acidification, brownification, clay formation, organic matter accumulation, as well as partial podzolisation and redoximorphism. Such phenomena have been described during studies of soils at Wilkes Land near Casey Station (Blume and Bölter 1993; Beyer et al. 1998; Blume et al., Chap. 7), and at King George Island near Arctowski Station (Kuhn 1997; Blume et al., Chap. 7). In contrast, soils of the cold deserts of the Ross Sea section are characterised only by physical weathering in combination with an accumulation of carbonates and salts, but there is nearly no humus accumulation (Campbell and Claridge l987; Bockheim and Ugolini 1990; Beyer et al. 1999). In recent reviews some more chemical and mineralogical data of representative soils have been given (Blume et al., Chap 7). This contribution discusses the main reasons for soil formation in Antarctic areas.
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Blume, HP., Beyer, L., Kalk, E., Kuhn, D. (2002). Weathering and Soil Formation. In: Beyer, L., Bölter, M. (eds) Geoecology of Antarctic Ice-Free Coastal Landscapes. Ecological Studies, vol 154. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56318-8_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56318-8_8
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