For landscape conditions in the upper reaches of the river Klyazma, Solnechnogorsk district, Moscow region, the height and reserves of snow cover were investigated, and the chemical composition of the snow was determined. The basis for considering the component composition of snow cover was the geochemical taxonomy of chemical elements based on the characteristics of water migration and abundance. Data from 23 snow sampling points were interpolated in SAGA GIS using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method. On this basis, zones differing in the chemical composition of snow are identified. One of the zones is confined to the M-10 Moscow-St. Petersburg highway, while the second borders on populated areas. The area close to the highway is characterized by increased levels of calcium, sodium, aluminum, and chloride ions in the snow cover. The second zone, bordering populated areas, is characterized by a high content of calcium, copper, and manganese in the snow. For the third zone, low concentrations of components in the snow were observed which are characteristic of a superaquatic landscape due to the distance from sources of pollution. The studied composition of snow waters belongs to the bicarbonate-sodium-calcium-chloride class. It has been shown that the height and reserves of snow cover are partially controlled by two factors: the type of elementary landscape and the type of ecosystem. Against this background, the spatial distribution of concentrations of elements and anions in snow is predominantly controlled by the anthropogenic factor.

The long-term component composition of natural waters in the snow waters–soil solutions–soil–ground waters–surface waters system has been studied within the landscapes of the upper reaches of the Klyazma River . It has been determined that the regular excess of the content of the main macro- and microelements in soil solutions in comparison with snow waters is first replaced at subsequent stages by an increase in the concentration of components in soil–ground water, followed by a decrease in the content in surface waters — streams and river waters. It is shown that the relatively high mobility of sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, and anions such as chloride and nitrate ions, is accompanied by a significant decrease in the mobility of elements of the family of iron, copper, and zinc at the transition from groundwater to surface water. This explains the wide distribution of segregated forms, which are presented by nodules in soils of semihydromorphic landscapes, up to ortsands, and the formation of typical bog ores in the boggy conditions of near-terrace depressions on the border with the superaquatic landscape. Thus, the composition of natural waters and its change serves not only as a good, but also a necessary tool for explaining the features of migration of elements in the soil — natural water system and explaining the mechanism of how soil formations arise.

The operation of stationary soil lysimeters is largely determined by the areal and vertical limitations of the soil mass. The areal spatial limitations of large lysimeters operating at the Moscow State University Soil Station and the proximity of phytocoenoses developing in them to each other contribute to the additional transport of plant litterfall by wind, while the vertical limitations eliminate the role of groundwaters and their soil-forming effects. The absence of lateral subsurface flow that is typical for natural landscapes and the increased inflow of alkaline-earth elements with atmospheric precipitation and dust reduce the manifestation of the eluvial–illuvial process. Comparative analysis of lysimetric waters in 1967–1968 and in 2014–2015 shows a significant increase in concentrations of such cations as calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium and such anions as chloride and sulfate over this period. The local spatial geochemical contrast of lysimetric waters caused by the impact of deicing agents does not affect the relative migration capacity of elements. Based on their biogeochemical accumulation levels in the soil, macroelements form the following series Ca > K > Al > Mg > N; microelements: Zn > Sr > Cu > Ba. The above patterns persist in all types of lysimeters. The calcium concentration in soils increases in the series: broadleaf forest > mixed forest > spruce forest > black fallow. The increased accumulation of elements in soils of spruce forests correlates with the humus type (moder-like) formed under them; this humus type is determined by the combination of coniferous and deciduous litterfall.

The composition of water-soluble macro- and microelements and anions has been studied in soils formed within a monolithic soil–geochemical catena. It has been shown that the carbon and nitrogen contents regularly increase from eluvial to accumulative landscapes parallel to their hydromorphism. The distribution of water-soluble forms of macro- and microelements is related to bioaccumulative processes and features of eluvial–illuvial differentiation of soils. The margins of the watershed depression are characterized by the combination of eluvial–illuvial differentiation and intensive lateral removal of elements in spring, which determines the maximal leaching of the top soil horizons. The data of the cluster analysis confirm that there is a correlation of soil genesis and location in the system of geochemical catena with the composition of water extracts.

This paper discusses the composition of soil–water extracts prepared from soils developing within a heterolithic geochemical landscape of the Klyazma River basin at the upper reaches of the river. The main factors determining the content of water-soluble components are the soil genesis and position in the series of elementary landscapes. The content of water-soluble macro- and microelements in soil profiles not affected by anthropogenic impacts is determined by the eluvial–illuvial structure of these soils. In a superaqual landscape withdrawn from the floodplain regime and featuring a complex soil cover, the distribution of water-soluble components in the soil profile is determined by calcareousness of soil–ground waters and their occurrence depth. Another factor affecting the soil solution composition is peat deposits underlying the soils. It is shown that calcium is one of the key elements determining the specificity of the studied heterolithic landscape. The performed cluster analysis confirms the identified differences in the composition of water-soluble components in each of the studied soils.

Stand litter of some coniferous and deciduous plantations within the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University is studied. It is established that stand litter of destructive types develops under conditions of deciduous plantations, whereas it is fermentative and humified in coniferous plantations. The total reserves of stand litters range from 500–800 g/m2 in deciduous plantations to 1000–5000 g/m2 in coniferous plantations. It is shown that small-leaved plantations are characterized by high rates of cycling with a significant decrease in the coniferous ecosystems. It was shown for the first time that the overall decomposition rate of terrestrial litter increases substantially with an increase in the proportion of leaves in the litter, which is confirmed by the theory of “hot points” proposed in the scientific literature.

The dynamics of snow depth and snow composition in the period of 2013–2018 has been discussed. The annual snow cover dynamics is characterized by the alternation of high and low values. The highest values were typical for winter of 2012/2013 followed by a decrease in 2013/2014. The leading role in the snow cover distribution belongs to the elementary landscape position within the geochemical landscape. Over the research years, the water equivalent of snow cover has been characterized by a bicarbonate–calcium composition. Contents of minor components have been generally of the same order of magnitude as the results obtained for the South Taiga landscapes. Some excess of individual components in the snow water in comparison with Мeshchera and Baikal landscapes, taken as a background, is due to the proximity of the studied geochemical landscape and the M-10 main road (Moscow–St. Petersburg). It is assumed that a relatively high Ca content in the snow water of the superaqueous landscape is related to a possible Ca arrival from external meadow–marsh carbonate soils boiling from the surface. Sulfate ion has been found out to play a key role in the diagnosis of atmogeochemical pollution which has been partially established for the studied landscapes.

Dynamics and composition of snow cover in the system of a geochemical landscape typical of southern taiga landscapes and the urbanized landscapes were studied during winter seasons of 2011 – 2016. It is shown that the maximum heights and water equivalent of snow cover in natural landscapes are usually found on flood plains and forest openings on the first terrace whereas minimum values are typical of forest ecosystems. The cluster analysis revealed that the chemical composition of snow in the MSU Arboretum and within landscapes in the vicinity of Moscow is closer unlike that of true urban landscapes.

Time regularities of litter fall input are revealed in the investigation of phytocenoses under conditions of stationary soil lysimeters. These regularities correlate well with the dynamics typical of phytocenoses of the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University. The data on litter fall input obtained by sampling with the use of stationary litter fall traps and by the approach of collection of the total year litter fall are highly comparable. The total amount of organic substance and ash elements received with litter fall corresponds to the data given for natural ecosystems. It may be concluded that the functioning of modern phytocenoses under conditions of very restricted volume and area of soil lysimeters is normal.

A comparative analysis of natural waters in the system of southern taiga landscapes showed that the difference in their composition was due not only to their belonging to a certain type of a water entity but also to the nature of water-enclosing rocks. The specificity of the composition is particularly evident in the case of high carbonate concentration tending to the near-terrace area of the Klyazma River. It was found that snow waters of Moscow region landscapes were less polluted than urban waters. A comparison of lysimetric and natural waters suggests that two conventional groups are observed in nature: the former is formed by watercourses of floodplain landscapes with an increased carbonate content, and the latter is made up by natural waters that belong to landscapes outside the impact of carbonates. Lysimetric soils of unpolluted areas obviously tend to natural landscapes, whereas waters in the zone of impact of deicing agents form an independent group.