1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture:
TOWARDS SOIL SUSTAINABILITY
11–13 June 2024 • Lublin–Nałęczów, Poland

https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.21
Published online: 4 October 2024

Organic soils and other soils rich in organic matter
in the Masurian Lakes Biosphere Reserve (NE Poland)
Andrzej Łachacz*, Magdalena Domańska, Barbara Kalisz, Paweł Sowiński

Department of Soil Science and Microbiology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac Łódzki 3,
10–727 Olsztyn, Poland
* Corresponding author:  

Abstract
The Masurian Lake Biosphere Reserve was created in 2017 by way of renomination of the previous Lake Łuknajno Biosphere Reserve, existing since 1977. After enlargement, the reserve covers 58 693.71 ha, including 6 786.90 ha of the core area. Currently, beside Lake Łuknajno, it covers a significant part of the Masurian Landscape Park. The study covers immediate surroundings of Łuknajno lake. The soil cover here has been largely affected by the water regime, i.e. ground water level. Eleven soil profiles were described, and the following analyses were carried out in the collected samples: soil texture (in mineral soil materials), CaCO₃ content, soil reaction, organic carbon and total nitrogen content, specific and bulk density, and organic carbon stock. According to the Polish Soil Classification (2019), 6 soil profiles were classified within the order of organic soils (4 soil profiles as peat soils, one as murshic soil and one as gyttja soil). Soils occurring farther from the contemporary border of the Łuknajno lake were classified as: mineral-peaty gleysol, gleyic chernozemic colluvial soil, humic regosol, typical semimurshic soil and typical postmurshic soil. According to the WRB classification (2022), 5 profiles were classified as Histosols (Drainic Sapric Histosols, Murshic Fibric Histosols, Murshic Sapric Histosols, Rheic Histosols) and 6 soil profiles (adjacent to organic soils) as: Calcaric Regosols, Eutric Solinovic Arenosols, Eutric Gleysols, Eutric Arenosols, and Haplic Umbrisols. The properties of soils were related to the high content of calcium carbonate which had been leached from the catchment area and accumulated in the basin of Lake Łuknajno in the form of thick layers of calcareous gyttja. Currently, the basin of the lake is almost completely filled with gyttja, and on the surface the chara meadows have developed. For the soils studied, high organic carbon stock was characteristic, and ranged from 74.4 to 111.9 kg C_org per m² for the depth of up to 150 cm in organic soils. The soils adjacent to organic ones in the landscape also had significant organic carbon stock (17.4–32.1 kg/m²) which was associated with semihydrogenic water conditions.

Keywords: peat soils, gyttja soils, soil classification, organic carbon stock, Łuknajno lake

How to cite
Łachacz A., Domańska M., Kalisz B., Sowiński P., 2024. Organic soils and other soils rich in organic matter in the Masurian Lakes Biosphere Reserve (NE Poland). 1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture: Towards Soil Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.21