Abstract
The doctrine of natural geographical zoning is a traditional and well-developed field of physical geography. Zonal landscapes of the planet are perfectly classified and have clear diagnostic signs. The situation is different with intrazonal landscapes. The criteria for their differentiation are not so obvious. Despite the objective differences in the landscapes of floodplains of forest and steppe natural zones, the principles of their differentiation and classification have not yet been eveloped. The most important factor in the functioning of floodplain landscapes is the seasonal dynamics of groundwater. The annual series of observations allows to graphically display this dynamic in the form of combined transverse profiles of river floodplains, reflecting the relief, the level of surface waters and the changing position of the upper boundary of groundwater. Two-dimensional figures on the profiles are subjected to mathematical processing and allow to develop mathematical models of annual groundwater dynamics. Such models can serve as a basis for classification of intrazonal landscapes of river floodplains. The idea of the study is to try to give an objective picture of natural processes in the floodplains of rivers of the arid zone, based on accurate quantitative characteristics comparable to each other. For mathematical processing, we selected field experimental plots, allowing to obtain a representative profile of the relief and the position of the groundwater mirror during the year. Two-year observations of groundwater have provided a comprehensive picture of their dynamics and relationships to the surface water regime. The results of this work were reflected graphically in the form of profiles. At the next stage, with the help of the Verner Graphical Analysis program, adequate mathematical models describing the process were selected. Verification of models showed a high degree of their reliability. The next stage of the work should be the comparative characteristics of floodplains of rivers of different natural zones and regions, based on the proposed approach. In combination with other criteria (humus content in soils, species composition of tree and shrub vegetation), this will make it possible to differentiate the landscapes of river floodplains and develop schemes for zoning intrazonal landscapes.
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