АНАЛИЗ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ РАСТИТЕЛЬНОГО ПОКРОВА В СЕВЕРНОЙ ЧАСТИ УБСУНУРСКОЙ КОТЛОВИНЫ

Abstract

To analyze changes in the vegetation cover on the territory of the Russian part of the Uvs Nuur Basin the images from the Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 satellites for the summer periods of 1988 and 2019 were used. Satellite images were processed in the GRASS geographic information system using the SMAP classification method. The Uvs Nuur Basin is located on the border of the Republic of Tuva and Mongolian People’s Republic. The region is characterized by a sharply continental climate with low snowy winters, hot and dry summers. A mosaic landscape structure of typical, dry and desert steppes is presented on the flat territory of the northern part of the Uvs Nuur Basin. Based on satellite information and the cartographic information, 9 landunits were identified in the studied territory of the Uvs Nuur Basin. According to the satellite images, the total area of the Russian part of the Uvs Nuur Basin is 19.5 thousand km2 . Changes in the areas of the selected landunits are estimated as a result of the satellite images classification. From the obtained results it was found that over the past 30 years, the area of cultivated fields in the northern part of the Uvs Nuur Basin has decreased by 80 %. Steppe vegetation is gradually occupying the abandoned arable lands. Desertification processes are ongoing in the Uvs Nuur Basin territory. There was a reduction in the area of meadows and an expansion of the territories of dry and desert steppes with the participation of shrubs of Caragana Bunge.