Distribution of Cryosols - Cryopedology - page 75

Table 7.1 World distribution of cryosols

Region Area (10 3 km 2 ) % of total References

Russia 9,720 70.6 Jones et al. ( 2010 )

Canada 2,500 18.2 Tarnocai and Bockheim ( 2011 )

USA 793 5.8 Soil Survey Staff ( 1999 )

China 320 2.3

Greenland 250 1.8 Jones et al. ( 2010 )

Mongolia 64 0.5 Maximovich ( 2004 )

Antarctica 46 0.3

Svalbard 24 0.2 Jones et al. ( 2010 )

Kyrgyzstan 11 0.1

Tajikistan 8 0.1

Others 23 0.2

Total 13,759 100

(Tarnocai and Bockheim 2011 ) can be ranked Turbic cryosols (72 %) Organic cryo-
sols (16 %), and Static cryosols (12 %) (Fig. 7.1 ).

7.2.2 Antarctica

Cryosols only account for 49,500 km 2 in Antarctica, 0.35 % of the continent.
The largest ice-free areas containing cryosols include the Transantarctic Mountains
of Victoria Land (24,200 km 2 ; 49 % of total), Palmer and Graham Land of the
Antarctic Peninsula (10,000 km 2 ; 20 %), and MacRobertson Land in East Antarctica
(5,400 km 2 ; 11 %). The ranking of soils by suborder for ice-free areas of Antarctica
is Orthels (44 %), Turbels (36 %), and Histels (0.4 %) (Table 9.6 ). Approximately
16 % of the ice-free areas contain soils other than Gelisols, especially Gelorthents and
Gelepts.

7.2.3 Alpine Permafrost Regions

Soils in the high mountains comprise 17 % of the global area of cryosols (Table 7.1 ).
The main regions featuring cryosols include high-latitude mountain ranges such as
the Ural and Sayan Mountains of Russia, the Tien Shan Mountains and Qilian
Mountains of China, the Brooks Range and Wrangel Mountains of Alaska, the
Canadian Cordillera, and the Altai Mountains of Mongolia. These areas contain
primarily Orthels (Aquorthels, Haplorthels, Historthels, Mollorthels, and
Umbrorthels), some Turbels (Aquiturbels, Histoturbels) and a lesser proportion of
Histels (Fibristels).