Analysis and assessment of the environmental situation within Muromets Island (Kyiv)

Abstract


 
 
 The environmental situation within Muromets floodplain island, which is considered one of the oldest and largest islands of the Kyiv metropolis was studied. This san- dy island was formed due to fluvial migration and numerous alluvial deposits since the Holocene. The island is located in the modern Dnipro floodplain, bordering Trukhaniv Island from the south. The environmental state of the island’s plants, landscapes, water bodies, soils and rocks was analyzed. The environmental protection objects of the territory were also characterized. Satellite images of the Earth’s surface over the past 37 years were analyzed to study modern changes in the island outline and hydrography within the Dnipro floodplain near Kyiv. Changes in the shoreline of Muromets Island were assessed. Using our field research data, cartographic schemes, space photographs and scientific publications of various years, we characterized the island’s geological environment, presented the dynamics of shoreline development, analyzed the ecological situation, and identified environmental problems. We found that the island’s environmental condition correlates with the influence of both natural and anthropogenic factors. The degree and severity of impact of the above-mentioned factors on the island’s geological environment was established. It was shown that intense changes in this territory occur due to the geological work of surface water and the work of the wind ,which are intensified by anthropogenic actions. The land shoreline has been migrating for a long time as a result of active water erosion by the Dnipro, Desna and Chartoryi (Desenka) rivers and their tributaries. New straits, peninsulas and individual small islands are formed. The results indicate significant natural dynamics of the Dnipro floodplain develop- ment, which occurs against the background of anthropogenic influence, the pressure of which is constantly increasing. The complex of anthropogenic and natural factors lead to the active development of invasive plants, eutrophication of water bodies, shoreline erosion, and significant loss of water and land resources of Muromets Island. The conclusions substantiated in the article are of general geolog- ical, ecological and practical significance. They are the beginning of environmental monitoring on this issue, expand knowledge about the peculiarities of the geological structure of Kyiv and the Dnipro floodplain, and update data on the development and ecological situation of this territory. This provides an opportunity to predict and determine the direction of development of negative environmental changes in advance, to make early decisions regarding agents of negative influence and pressure on the geological environment, and to respond in time to their localization or termination. The obtained data can also be used in the arrangement of geological and engineering works related to the preservation of the Dnipro floodplain and the shoreline of the dry land, as well as in the planning of environmental protection measures.