A dataset of soil microstructure features and physicochemical properties for 1968 and climate sequence for 1951-1992 in the Caspian lowland

The soils of arid regions are sensitive to short-term climate changes, which are most quickly manifested in the saline state of alkaline and saline soils. Long-term climate changes are reflected in more stable soil characteristics, such as grain size distribution and microstructure. These properties can be used as indicators to assess the direction and degree of soil transformation under the influence of climate change in the longer term. This article presents data collected on the territory of the Caspian Depression near the Dzhanybek Research Station of the Institute of Forest Science RAS. The studied object is represented by microcatena of light chestnut soils with varying degrees of severity of the saline process which is located in the saline complex between the I and II belts of the Chapaevsk-Vladimirovka State Forest Wind Belt. The height range between the studied pits is 3.6 cm. The dataset includes data on soil grain size distribution, organic carbon content, the composition of exchangeable cations, the salt composition of soil-water extract and microphotographs of the state of the light chestnut soils in 1968. This year is the starting point for modelling soil properties and assessing soil changes in this area due to climatic changes. The weather data are collected at the Janybek weather station between May 1951 and December 1992. It includes daily, monthly and annual data on air and soil temperature, wind speed and direction, air moisture, precipitation, depth of soil freezing, snow density and thickness. Using the data presented in the article, it is possible to assess the nuances of global warming in the Caspian lowland and reconstruct changes in soil properties associated with it. In the future, such reconstructions will become a tool for making forecasts of both climatic and soil changes in this territory.