Physico-theoretical basis of the mesoscopic approach to the study of soil and climatic regulations

Abstract

Aim of the study. The aim of the work was to review critically the practice of applying system approach in soil research and identify existing problems; to consider the cognitive potential of micro- and macroscopic approaches in computational simulation of  soil-bioclimatic regularities.

Methodology. Mathematical simulation.

Results of the study. A new mesoscopic approach to the study of the structure of soil-bioclimatic areas is proposed. It is based on two principles referred to as the principle of invariance and the principle of optimality. Application of these principles makes it possible to express the regularities  in soil-climate relationship in the form of a single universal quantitative dependence. The study showed that a mathematical model built on the basis of these principles resulted in the emergence of new generalized concepts, logically combining the previously considered to be unrelated concepts of hydro- and thermal series introduced by V.R. Volobuev, the Vysotsky - Ivanov moisture coefficient and the radiation dryness index by M. Budyko. In addition, the simulation showed that the concepts elucidating the indicator of the radiation energy utilization by biogeocenosis were represented by the interrelated coefficients of the heat and precipitation utilization in soils. The coefficients were also shown to have specific values ​​for different soil-bioclimatic areas. On the basis of the new indicators, soils were grouped in such a way as to produce patterns essentially different in many details from the conventional grouping.

Conclusions. The new concepts represent a unified integral system, and the approach as a whole can be considered as an alternative physico-theoretical way to describe natural laws and regularities by using extreme (variational) methodology.