NATURAL CONDITIONS OF COASTAL AND NEAR-COASTAL TERRITORIES OF ESTUARIES ALLOCATED IN THE NORTH-WESTERN BLACK SEA REGION AND THEIR SOIL FORMATION POTENTIAL

Abstract

The aim of this research resides in uncovering links between the specific factors of the soil formation processes and the peculiarities of soils which are being formed in the coastal and near-coastal territories of the estuaries allocated in the North-Western Black Sea Region. Reserach object focuses on the natural conditions of the the coastal and near-coastal territories of the estuaries as the soil formation factors. In its turn, the research subject addresses the natural soil formation conditions and their role and potential in shaping the soils within the researched territory. In the result of the research there have been outlined natural conditions of the coastal and near-coastal territories of the North-Western Black Sea estuaries. The landscape as a factor which influences and specifies other soil formation factors have been described. It has been established that the geomorphological conditions and processes taking place in the coastal and near-coastal territories contribute to the aclimatic divergence and formation of the azonic and intrazonal soil types (in particular, one should note the emergence of the meadow black soil, alluvial meadow saline, saline gley, meadow marsh, marsh gley, short profile black soil, and other types of soils). The research results have been confirmed by the field and laboratory analysis of the morphology, consistence, and peculiarities of soils of different geomorphologic and hypsometric layers within the research territory.