Dynamics of changes in height of snow cover of chronological series of birch plantations (middle taiga subzone of European North)

Snow cover plays an important role in soil formation and has a significant impact on vegetation. The need to study snow cover has been increasing in recent years due to global climate change. Special attention should be paid to the study of the dynamics of snow cover in artificially created biogeocenoses, in order to understand the general trends in the interaction of soils, snow mass, and vegetation under anthropogenic influence. This is especially true for the taiga zone of the European North, which is characterized by great variability in the natural environment. Insufficient attention to this problem has determined the purpose of this work: to study the depth of snow cover in a chronological series of the birch bark of various grasses. In the middle taiga subzone of Karelia, a change in the depth of snow cover was carried out in birch plantations of different ages.

The research conducted has shown that the formation of snow cover changes dramatically in space and time, and depends on abiotic and biotic factors. It was found that stable snow cover had formed by October 30, 2023. The period of snowfall in the studied areas was 7 months. The maximum height of the stable snow cover was 80 cm, with a minimum of 5 cm. An analysis of the results showed that the distribution of snow on the site depends on the microsite (crown-window): higher indicators were noted “under the crown” compared to the microsite “window”. This study confirms the role of the phytocomplex in the formation of snow cover and established general trends in changing the thickness of snow cover depending on the age of birch planting. The results obtained are the basis for creating a database for the predictive monitoring of the carbon footprint ofterrestrial ecosystems of the boreal zone of the European North.