Analyze of Dynamics and Degree of Anthropogenic Impacts on the Ecogeomorphological Conditions (Case Study of the Kura-Araz Lowland and Surrounding Areas)

Abstract

Theoretical base of human effects on geomorphological environment, the evolution of anthropogenic impacts and modern situation of human activity were analyzed in the studied area. On the base of supervised and unsupervised classification of the Landsat images (1976–2017) Land use-Land cover map of the territory was compiled. The dynamic and transformation of land covers were determined with the change detection function. It was defined that the most increasing land cover in the area of transformation since 1976 to 2017 is the sown area. Due to the anthropogenic development of the study area, the largest decrease in the area of exposed (33,85%) and saline (25,43%) land cover occurred during this period. Among the listed anthropogenic factors (oil and gas production, production of building materials, grazing, settlements, etc.), it is established that irrigation erosion has a wide radius of encirclement and a high degree of influence. With the application of Geographic Information System technologies, on the base of remote sensing data the density of the irrigation network has been computed and mapped. Ecogeomorphological assessment and zoning of the territory has been carried out. According to the comparative analysis of horizontal (stream network) and anthropogenic (irrigation network) fragmentation it was determined that the estimated maximum cost of anthropogenic fragmentation in the study area is 2,5 times higher than natural horizontal fragmentation.