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c . Very little information is available concerning the soil
forming processes in the Canadian subarctic and arctic regions .
This
is especially true of cryoturbation which is probably one of the most
important factors .
Cryoturbation affects not only the development
of the soil but also distribution of vegetation and
the stability of
terrain . It is recommended that soil scientists study this process
jointly with ecologists to determine the effect of cryoturbation on the
ecosystem .
d . In ecological studies, such as the study of plant succession
and re-establishment of vegetative cover on disturbed areas, soil
scientists should be involved together with ecologists and botanists .
Soil scientists would provide information relevant to plant growth .
This would include the physical
(texture, structure) and chemical
(nutrient content, pH)
properties of the soils as well as its moisture
content, depth of active layer,
soil temperature, ice content and the
degree of cryoturbation .
e . Panchromatic, small-scale black and white photographs which
were taken in the mid-1950's were used to conduct soil studies .
If
reconnaissance surveys and other environmental studies are to be
undertaken in the future some funds and preplanning must be directed
towards obtaining higher quality,
recent, multispectral aerial
photography and other remote sensing data . Studies carried out in
other areas using recent remote sensing data were more accurate and
provided greater amounts of
terrain information than was obtained using
old panchromatic, small-scale, black and white photographs .