Abstract
Active layer soils in tundra at Tiksi, northeastern Siberia were investigated in the summers of 1997 and 1998. These soils are generally divided into four horizons. Each horizon has a unique characteristic soil temperature, water content, and hydraulic and thermal conductivity. The physical properties of the mother rock and soil in the lower horizon were homogeneous at different observation sites, while the properties of the soil in the upper layer and the thickness of the active layer differed with the surface conditions and water regimes of the observation sites. The active layer soils in tundra at Tiksi were classified into five types and four strata hydrologically, based on soil water regime and vegetation.
