Comparative description of soils and vegetative cover of tombolos on the costs of the White and Baltic seas

Abstract

We studied the soils and vegetation cover of tombolo – bridges between the mainland and small islands on the coasts of the White and Baltic Seas. Tombolo are characterized by complex dynamics of sedimentation that determines a high level of heterogeneity of soils and associated vegetation cover. At the Kolezhma plot on the White Sea coast, ground- and surface-gley marsh soils are formed. Vegetation corresponds to marsh meadows of the lower and middle levels, and varies depending on salinity, acidity level and soil texture. At the Gakkovo plot on the Baltic Sea coast, soils are characterized by greater uniformity; in general, they have a sandy texture. Th e influence of the Baltic Sea on the soil and vegetation cover is significantly lower than that of the White Sea due to the weakly pronounced tidal dynamics of the Baltic Sea