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air voids due to frost action) is also associated with these soils .'
The moisture content of these soils is also typical and is somewhat
similar to that of cryic organic soils . The elevated portions of
the hummock have a lower moisture content than do the trenches or the
materials above the permafrost table .
On flat or depressional terrain
the water table is close to the surface and its depth is affected
greatly by the depth of the permafrost table . Very little information
is available concerning the development and removal (melting) of the
seasonal frost in the active layer but it is likely that, in the late
spring and summer,
certain parts of the soil above the seasonal frost
table are always water saturated .
Determination of the drainage in
the
field is based on the moisture regime of the active layer and
especially of the rooting zone (10-20 cm below the surface) which
essentially controls the type of vegetation developed on a site .
Probably one of the most striking features of the cryoturbed
Brunisols is the presence of organic matter throughout the profile .
The organic material was found in the form of intrusions
(displaced
blobs of material), organic smears and stains . Above the permafrost
table a definite build-up of organic material was noted in all of
these
soils .
This is especially outstanding in the case of profile T16 where
the organic carbon content reaches a value of 11 .7 percent .
8 .2 .1 .3 Regosols
The Regosols consist of well to
imperfectly drained soils having
a horizon development too weak to meet the requirements of soils in any