Global Processes of Deflation in Steppe Ecosystems

Abstract

The modern steppe zone of Eurasia is an active arena for the blowing of mineral matter out of the land surface and for its incorporation to the global process of exchange of matter and energy. The ploughed soil of the steppe zone used in agriculture annually loses tens of tons of fine earth from each hectare. This reduces the natural fertility of lands and quickens the general degradation of steppe ecosystems. This occurs especially intensively during blocking processes, when a strong anticyclone sets in over southeastern Europe. In this case, the energy wind load on the soil surface increases by one or two orders of magnitude as compared to the normal, and its destruction becomes catastrophic. In the zone where airflows converge in the steppes of the Lower Volga, Caspian region, and Ciscaucasia, wind-blown mineral substances are transported in the storm zone for a distance of 2000 km and are accumulated on the land surface in Central and northwestern Europe.