Soils and cultural layers of ancient cities in the south of European Russia

Aleksandrovskii, A. L.; Aleksandrovskaya, E. I.; Долгих, А. В.; Zamotaev, I. V.; Kurbatova, A. N.

doi:10.1134/s1064229315110022

Cited by 25 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…SOC stocks deeper than 100 cm in urban areas originated from anthropogenic cultural layers under long‐term settlement. They consist mainly of the remains of wooden buildings and roads and may include manure residues, ash, charcoal, domestic, and municipal wastes (Aleksandrovskii et al, ). The depth and composition of cultural layers depend on the city age, initial mesorelief, and climate.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, the greater part of N stocks in the upper 0–100 cm of Retisols, Chernozems, and Ferralsols occurs in the top 0–50 cm (Figure ). Similar to SOC, high N stocks in cultural layers were caused by N inputs from household activities in medieval private manors, including straw, wooden chips, manure, and sewage deposited in the court yards (Aleksandrovskii et al, ; Alexandrovskaya & Alexandrovskiy, ). The subsoil SIC stocks in urban soils were 7.8 ± 1.0 kg C/m 2 , twice as high as in the upper 100 cm.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The depth of cultural layers ranges from 0.5 m in recently developed areas to as deep as 10 m in historical centres and relief depressions (e.g., old streams, gullies, and river valleys). Considering that average C content in these sediments can be 3–5% or more (Aleksandrovskii, Aleksandrovskaya, Dolgikh, Zamotaev, & Kurbatova, ; Vasenev, Stoorvogel, & Vasenev, 2013), cultural layers are the most significant local SOC stocks in ancient and medieval cities. Other direct and indirect factors accelerating or reducing C accumulation and decomposition of organic matter in urban compared with natural soils are presented in Table S1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Urban soils as hot spots of anthropogenic carbon accumulation: Review of stocks, mechanisms and driving factors

2018

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Urban soils and cultural layers may accumulate C over centuries and consequently large C stocks may be sequestered beneath cities. Processes and mechanisms leading to high C accumulation in urban soils remain unknown. Data on soil organic carbon (SOC), soil inorganic carbon (SIC), black (pyrogenic) carbon (BC), and nitrogen contents and stocks in urban soils were collected from 100 peer‐reviewed papers. The database (770 data points for SOC, SIC, and BC stocks from 116 cities worldwide) was analysed considering the effects of climate and urban‐specific factors (city size, age, and functional zoning) on C stocks. The processes of C accumulation specific for urban soils were analysed, and C sequestration rates were assessed. For the wide range of climatic conditions, total C content in urban soils was 1.5–3 times higher, and C accumulation was much deeper compared with natural soils, resulting in 3–5 times larger total C stocks. Urban SOC stocks increased with latitude, whereas SIC stocks were less affected by climate. City size and age were the main factors explaining intercity differences in C stocks. The intracity variability of C and N stocks was dominated by functional zoning: Large SOC and N stocks in residential areas and large SIC and BC stocks in industrial zones and roadsides were consistent across all climates and for cities of various sizes and ages. Substantial amounts of SOC, SIC, and N are sequestered in the subsoils, cultural layers, and sealed soils, underlining the importance of these hidden stocks for C assessments. Long‐term С input from outside the cities and associated C accumulation coincided with upward soil growth of ~50 cm per century, and continuous accumulation of 15–30 kg C/m2 per century in urban soils and cultural layers. We conclude that, despite the relatively small area of cities, urban soils are hot spots of long‐term soil C sequestration worldwide, and the importance of urban soils will increase in future with global urbanization.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Urban soils as hot spots of anthropogenic carbon accumulation: Review of stocks, mechanisms and driving factors

2018

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“…At the Mukhino settlement located on a plateau-like interfluve between upper branches of a large balka, the soil buried under the rampart was identified as a typical dark gray forest soil. At other settlements of the Scythian time in the northern part of the Central Russian Upland, the soils buried under ramparts were also identified as dark gray forest soils; in particular, they were described near the Don River valley in Lipetsk oblast [34], at the Pereverzevo-1 site in Kursk oblast [29], and at several ancient settlements in the central and northern parts of Lipetsk oblast [2,3]. Thus, we can suppose that the stage of afforestation and forest pedogenesis in the northern part of the modern forest-steppe zone took place earlier than in the southern part of this zone, which is reflected in the development of gray forest soils at the beginning of the Subatlantic period of the Holocene.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zemtsov. In the discussion of the results of our studies, we also used published data on a number of other archaeological sites: the Verkhnee Kazach'e ancient settlement near the Mukhino settlement in Lipetsk oblast [34] and several ancient settlements in the northern part of the forest-steppe zone in Kursk and Lipetsk oblasts [3,29]. The studied settlements have certain similarities in the environmental factors and in their ages.…”

Section: Objects and Metodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of forest pedogenesis in the south of the forest-steppe of the Central Russian Upland in the Late Holocene

et al. 2017

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Late Holocene stage of forest pedogenesis has been studied on the interfluves along river valleys in the forest-steppe zone of the Central Russian Upland. The development of gray forest soils from the former chernozems as a result of the Late Holocene advance of forest vegetation over steppes is discussed. It is argued that the climatic conditions of the Subatlantic period were unstable, so that multiple alternation of forest and steppe vegetation communities took place. This specified a complex character of soil evolution upon contrasting substitution of forest pedogenesis for steppe pedogenesis. On the interfluves near the natural drainage network (balkas, ravines, and steep slopes of river valleys), the climate-driven dynamics of forest and steppe vegetation with corresponding changes in the character of pedogenesis could take place during the entire Holocene, which is reflected in a lower thickness of humus profiles and deeper leaching of carbonates from chernozems of the Early Iron Age in comparison with their analogues formed under steppe cenoses in central parts of the interfluves. Two variants of the evolution of gray forest soils can be suggested: the pulsating evolution typical of balkas and interfluves near river valleys and the continuous progressive evolution typical of automorphic (plakor) positions in central parts of the interfluves.

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Urban Environments in the Middle Ages

Macphail

Devos

2023

Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series

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Soils and cultural layers of ancient cities in the south of European Russia

Cited by 25 publications

References 13 publications

Urban soils as hot spots of anthropogenic carbon accumulation: Review of stocks, mechanisms and driving factors

Urban soils as hot spots of anthropogenic carbon accumulation: Review of stocks, mechanisms and driving factors

Evolution of forest pedogenesis in the south of the forest-steppe of the Central Russian Upland in the Late Holocene

Urban Environments in the Middle Ages

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