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Frost and the Soil Environment

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Book cover The Soils of Iceland

Part of the book series: World Soils Book Series ((WSBS))

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Abstract

Frost has pronounced influences on soils and landscapes of Iceland. The soils are generally very frost susceptible and rich in silt. Colloidal constituents of the soils retain large quantities of water but behave like silt with rapid hydraulic conductivity and frost susceptibility . Winter temperatures are characterized by more frequent freeze–thaw cycles than known elsewhere. The soils lack layer silicates (clays) that provide cohesion for soils elsewhere and they are easily deformed by frost. Many are thixotropic at high water contents. The soils are often heavily cryoturbated, but periglacial landforms characterize the landscapes, especially thufur (hummocks ), solifluction features (terraces and lobes), and patterned ground on many deserts. Thufur occur in areas without a shallow water table because of the combination of soil properties and climatic factors, often enhanced by grazing of animals. Needle-ice formation is extremely common on barren surfaces in winter, having pronounced effects on surface stability and negative effects on primary succession. Palsas occur in some highland areas. Permafrost is confined to the palsa features and very high elevations.

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Regarding punctuation and Icelandic characters in citations: See note on punctuation in the Preface

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  1. Environmental Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Borgarnes, Iceland

    Olafur Arnalds

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Arnalds, O. (2015). Frost and the Soil Environment. In: The Soils of Iceland. World Soils Book Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9621-7_10

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