Distribution of elements in soil catenas developed in ice-dammed lake and in morainic landscapes in NE Poland

The research was carried out on a soil catena sequence, in three sections of river valleys: the Liwna and Guber rivers flowing through landscapes shaped by ice-dammed lakes on Sępopol Lowland, and the Łyna river in the morainic landscape of Olsztyn Lakeland. Along transects, from the upland edge towards the river bed, soil exposures were made, soil samples were collected, and the soil reaction, cation exchange capacity, content of organic carbon and total content of Ca, Fe, Mg, K, P, Na, Mn, Zn and Cu were analyzed. The soils of the landscape of ice-dammed lake origin contained more elements than the ones in the morainic landscape. In the catena, the highest cation exchange capacity and the highest content of macro- and microelements were determined in Histosols and Fluvisols. Among the studied Fluvisols, the highest content of Ca (19.5 g kg-1), Mg (12.60 g kg-1), Fe (41.92 g kg-1), Mn (691.38 mg kg-1) was found in the soils of the Guber catena, and the highest content of K (13.00 g kg-1), Na (0.60 g kg-1), P (3.20 g kg-1), Cu (55.90 mg kg-1), Zn (271.46 mg kg-1) was in the soils of the Liwna catena. The amounts of the elements (except Fe and Mn) were statistically positively significantly correlated with the amount of organic carbon as well as the silt fraction 0.05-0.002 mm (all elements) and clay fraction <0.002 mm (Ca, K, Na, Fe, Mn). Fluvisols and Histosols in river valleys, owing to their high accumulation capacity, play a very important role in the circulation of elements and strengthen the resistance of landscapes of ice-dammed lake origin and morainic hills to human activity.