The role of wind in the divergence of ecosystems with permafrost-affected and seasonally freezing soils in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk coastal region.

摘要

A mosaic of forest ecosystems with seasonally freezing soils and tundra ecosystems with permafrost-affected soils in the coastal plains of the Sea of Okhotsk [Russian Far East] was conditioned not by temperature and moisture, but by the effect of wind. Redistribution of snow creates conditions for the strong cooling of soil and permafrost development at some sites, whereas other sites with deep snow cover serve as shelters for plants and prevent deep soil freezing. The possibility of interchanges of forest ecosystems and tundra due solely to changes in the wind regime, should be taken into account while reconstructing the Pleistocene palaeoenvironment in NE Asia.