Methodology of Energy Assessment for Ecosystems of the First Floodplain Terrace of the Ushayka River (Tomsk Oblast)

Abstract

An analysis of modern scientific ideas has shown that there is no consensus on the definition of the energy of organic matter in ecosystems, and current methods need a detailed elaboration. This article presents the results of the application of the method of a component-by-component assessment of the amount of energy of the organic matter of the ecosystem using the energy approach. The methodology is the determination of energy indicators for pools of phytomass, mortmass, and soils, as well as the study of the main energy sources involved in the formation of the ecosystem. The research was carried out on the first above-floodplain terrace of the right coast of the Ushayka River in Tomsk oblast. The materials for testing the technique were obtained in the field on a scale at the level of landscape facies. In laboratory conditions, the energy potential was calculated by methods of determining the heat of combustion during direct combustion using a calorimeter for fractions of model wood, phytomass, and mortmass. According to the results of the study, the main sources of energy for the ecosystem are the sun and precipitation, which provide 3.357 × 10⁹ J/m²/year. The total amount of energy of the organic matter of the ecosystem at the moment, representing its energy potential, is 1.523 × 10¹³ J/ha, of which the energy potential of grass cover phytomass is 55.01 × 10⁹ J/ha, that of common pine tree stands is 1.29 × 10¹³ J/ha, that of mortmass is 43.058 × 10⁹ J, and that of soils is 6.754 × 10¹² J. The results of the work carried out can be applied to agriculture, territorial zoning, monitoring, recreation, and creation of special ecological zones.