Satellite agroecological monitoring within the system of sustainable environmental management

Abstract

Satellite data are a relevant part of information, required for sustainable environmental management, assessment of the impact of economic activity of ecosystems, determination of risks, related to global climate changes, desertifi cation processes, loss of landscape and biotic diversity. Aim. To substantiate the reasonability and prove the effi ciency of using satellite data in the agroecologic monitoring system regarding the impact of climate changes on vegetation, processes of soil erosion degradation, and assessment of landscape diversity. Methods. The study was conducted in the territory of Ukraine. It involved the application of SWOT and Gap-analysis methodology, materials of NOAA satellite observa- tions, Sentinel, different spatial resolution, methodological and regulatory provision of the Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Economics of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences regarding satellite monitoring of the structure of agrolandscapes, norms of establishing a network of testing agrarian grounds, list of vegetation state indicators, in par- ticular, “Remote sensing of the Earth from space. Land data about controlling the condition of plantings and performance of agricultural crops. General requirements: DSTU 7307:2013”, “Remote sensing of the Earth from space. Ground in- spection of plantings. Classifi er of objects and functions: SUC 01.1-37-907:2011”, “Methodological recommendations on establishing the network of testing agrarian grounds in the system of monitoring of plantings using the materials of cosmic information”. The investigation on the impact of climate changes on vegetation state was conducted on the territory of three natural-climatic zones which were geographically represented by Chernihiv, Poltava and Zaporizhzhia regions re- spectively. The determination of the threat of erosion degradation of arable lands and landscape diversity was performed on the territory of two administrative districts with high level of ploughness of agrolandscapes, intense agrarian produc- tion and manifestation of erosion degradation of lands. Results. Inadequacy of the traditional system of agroecological monitoring was determined. It was proven that it was reasonable to have comprehensive application of satellite data regarding climate warming within the natural climatic zones and its impact on vegetation according to the normalized dif- ference vegetation index (NDVI), erosion degradation of soils and landscape diversity. According to satellite data of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the correlation analysis was performed on the connection between the dynamics of the sum of effective temperatures and the sum of NDVI values for the vegetation period. There was positive impact of climate warming on vegetation state according to NDVI index in the zone of Polissia and Forest- Steppe. The correlation coeffi cients were R = 0.64 and R = 0.77 respectively. In the Steppe zone the correlation coeffi cient dropped down to R = 0.35 which demonstrated the elevated risk of droughts. Conclusions. Satellite data of Sentinel-1 were used to determine critical zones of erosion degradation of arable lands, requiring preservation and their inclusion to the natural fi elds, which had a positive impact on the optimization of agrolandscape diversity.