Cold Region Soils: Part I—Distribution, Properties and Processes

Cold region soils are increasingly impacted by anthropogenic activities and climatic change. Despite their cold character, these unique soils are highly dynamic. Low temperatures depress but do not stop biochemical reactions. This results in high rates of carbon accumulation, and slow but significant chemical modification. Volumetric expansion and contraction due to water movement and phase change occurs in both permafrost and non-permafrost-affected soils, and dramatically affects their morphological, physical and chemical properties. Conserving and managing cold region soils sustainably depends on understanding their distribution, properties, and the unique set of physical and biochemical processes that occur in them.