Theoretical basis and practical significance of investigations into soil cover patterns

Abstract

Principles and methods of studying the soil cover pattern for the inventory, assessment, and rational use of the natural resource potential are outlined. It is suggested that the soil cover patterns should be studied for typified natural systems (territorial units). The latter are different from one another in the composition and pattern of the soil combinations. The typology and hierarchical grouping of soil combinations are developed, and their nomenclature is suggested. The methodology for assessing the soil cover heterogeneity on the basis of a monofactor scale of the degree of the soil contrasts and a modified evaluation of the soil cover compartmentalization with the application of an automated cartographic analysis is described. This procedure has made it possible to gain an integral holistic perception of the geosystems in Belarus. The application of a corresponding database developed in the ArcInfo format for creating maps with information on the morphometric, geomorphic, hypsometric, lithological, and other characteristics of geosystems is illustrated. Special surveys of the soil cover patterns in Belarus were performed on an area of 10000000 ha. Their results are taken into account upon planning the rational nature management.