Water conductivity of Arctic zone soils (Spitsbergen)

The water conductivity of arctic zone soils derived in different micro-relief forms was determined. The greatest water conductivity at the 0-5 cm depth for the higher values of water potentials (> -7 kJ m-3) was shown by tundra polygons (Brunic-Turbic Cryosol, Arenic) – 904-0.09 cm day-1, whereas the lowest were exhibited by Turbic Cryosols – 95-0.05 cm day-1. Between -16 and -100 kJ m-3, the water conductivity for tundra polygons rapidly decreased to 0.0001 cm day-1, whereas their decrease for the other forms was much lower and in consequence the values were 0.007, 0.04, and 0.01 cm day-1 for the mud boils (Turbic Cryosol (Siltic, Skeletic)), cell forms (Turbic Cryosol (Siltic, Skeletic)), and sorted circles (Turbic Cryosol (Skeletic)), respectively. In the 10-15 cm layer, the shape of water conducti-vity curves for the higher values of water potentials is nearly the same as for the upper layer. Similarly, the water conductivity is the highest – 0.2 cm day-1 for tundra polygons. For the lower water potentials, the differences in water conductivity increase to the decrease of soil water potential. At the lowest potential the water conductivity is the highest for sorted circles – 0.02 cm day-1 and the lowest in tundra polygons – 0.00002 cm day-1.