The most massive and fast-eroding thaw slump of the Northern Hemisphere located in the Yana Uplands of Northern Yakutia was investigated to assess in detail the cryogenic inventory and carbon pools of two distinctive Ice Complex stratigraphic units and the uppermost cover deposits. Differentiating into modern and Holocene near-surface layers (active layer and shielding layer), highest total carbon contents were found in the active layer (18.72 kg m⁻²), while the shielding layer yielded a much lower carbon content of 1.81 kg m⁻². The late Pleistocene upper Ice Complex contained 10.34 kg m⁻² total carbon, and the mid-Pleistocene lower Ice Complex 17.66 kg m⁻². The proportion of organic carbon from total carbon content is well above 70% in all studied units with 94% in the active layer, 73% in the shielding layer, 83% in the upper Ice Complex and 79% in the lower Ice Complex. Inorganic carbon is low in the overall structure of the deposits.

The most massive and fast-eroding thaw slump of the Northern Hemisphere located in the Yana uplands of northern Yakutia was investigated to assess in detail the cryogenic inventory and carbon pools of two distinctive Ice Complex stratigraphic units and the uppermost cover deposits. Differentiating into modern and Holocene near-surface layers (active layer and shielding layer), highest total carbon contents were found in the active layer (18.7 kg m-2), while the shielding layer yielded much lower carbon content of 1.8 kg m-2. The late Pleistocene upper Ice Complex contained 10.4 kg m-2 total carbon, and the mid-Pleistocene lower Ice Complex 17.7 kg m-2. The proportion of organic carbon from total carbon content is well above 70% in all studied units with 94 % in the active layer, 73% in the shielding layer, 83% in the upper Ice Complex and 79% in the lower Ice Complex. Inorganic carbon is low in the overall structure of the deposits.

This study aimed to analyze the organic, inorganic, and total carbon contents in Central Yakutia. We selected two sites with similar climatic features: Diring-Atakh (Churapchinsky region) and Syrdakh (Ust-Aldan region). The analysis showed that the decreasing dynamics of carbon stocks was attributive to their depth. The maximum accumulation of carbon was observed in the upper humus-accumulation horizon. We found that the minimum organic carbon content (0.22 % OC) and its maximum content (4.81 % OC) were tracked in the active layer at the Syrdakh site. However, the concentrations of both organic and inorganic carbon in the seasonally thawed layers were marked with a uniform distribution down the profile and a peak increase in permafrost at the Syrdakh site. The obtained results indicate variability in the carbon content typical of the region. The climatic and geological characteristics of the region contribute to the disintegration of carbon in the sediments of the ice complex during systematic thawing and freezing, movement along the profile of dissolved organic compounds, and frost weathering. The ratio of organic and inorganic carbon in permafrost soils is an indicator for rapid assessment of the state and flow of soil organic matter in a changing climate.

Investigation of organic carbon and nitrogen stock was conducted at depths greater than one meter in the ice complex in central part of Yakutia (Russia). Around 53% of the total organic carbon stock in the upper part of the ice complex is held in the active layer. The protective layer holds 31% and the permafrost layer holds 16%. The distribution of nitrogen over the elementary layers of the ice complex mirrors the percentages for organic carbon stocks given above. The total stock of biogenic elements in the ice complex investigated (0–250 cm) consists of 38.7 ± 0.2 kg/m² of organic carbon and 2.13 ± 0.01 kg/m² of nitrogen. The prevalent amount is carbon detritus, 40% of the total carbon content in the active layer. The share of labile carbon accounts 18%, that is 2 times less than carbon detritus. In the next two layers, the content of the components decreases and varies from 2% to 12%. The low labile organic matter content in the protective and permafrost layers indicates the development of the ice complex proceeded under conditions with poorly formed organic material.

The assessment of carbon stocks in the litter and soil of highly productive forests on the Prilenskoe Plateau was conducted using widely accepted methods of general biology, landscape science and geocryology. The research focused on larch-birch and pine-larch forests situated on continuous permafrost, as well as on long-term fallow lands. Notably, the fallow land, in contrast to the forested areas, exhibited a significant loss of organic carbon from the soil, amounting to up to 83 % within a 30 cm depth due to the exploitation of forest resources. The total organic carbon (TOC) reserves in the forest litter ranged from 17 to 35 kg/m². In the larch-birch forb-lingonberry forest, the TOC reserves in the soil were measured at 19.57 kg/m² for the 0–30 cm layer, 26.79 kg/m² at 1 m depth, and 34.98 kg/m² at 2 m depth. Conversely, in the pine-larch lingonberry forest, these values decreased to 9.28 kg/m², 15.41 kg/m², and 18.91 kg/m², respectively, while in the fallow land, the measurements were 3.37 kg/m², 6.35 kg/m², and 8.91 kg/m². The total inorganic carbon (TIC) reserves in the active layer of the larch-birch forest were found to be 3.46 kg/m², in the pine-larch lingonberry forest 5.81 kg/m², and in the fallow land 4.35 kg/m². The forests of South-Eastern Yakutia represent an essential component of the global carbon reservoir; however, they may lose their nutrient accumulation function under anthropogenic pressures. This study serves as the preliminary phase of a long-term research initiative aimed at systematizing carbon pools in representative permafrost landscapes of Yakutia and elucidating the patterns of carbon variation across diverse natural and climatic zones