Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Landscapes of Plain and Mountain Catchments in the Altai Region During the Last 40 Years

Abstract

The spatiotemporal dynamics of land covers of representative catchments of the Altai region (Altai Krai and Republic of Altai) was analyzed using remote sensing data and GIS techniques. The following key areas were used: the adjacent basins of Lake Gor’koe and the Kasmala and Barnaulka rivers on the Ob Plateau (Altai krai) were used for the inland drainage area of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve and the left bank of the Upper Ob; the Bol’shaya Rechka basin on the Biisk-Chumysh Upland and ancient Ob terraces (Altai krai), for the right bank of the Upper Ob; the Belaya river basin (Altai krai) for the low mountains and middle mountains of the Northwestern province of Russian Altai, and the Maima river basin (Republic of Altai) for the low mountains and middle mountains of the Northern and Northeastern Altai provinces. The algorithm for analyzing the actual state of land covers and identifying the main vectors of their transformation was adapted to the study area. A series of multitemporal Landsat images for three time slices was used. It is found that the plain catchments of the steppe and forest-steppe zones are characterized by a smaller amplitude of land cover change as compared to the mountain zones. For the inland drainage area of the Ob-Irtysh interfluve and the left bank of the Upper Ob, a reduction of the arable land and a high natural dynamics of water bodies are most indicative. The right bank of the Ob is characterized by the lowest dynamics of all types of land cover and a significant dynamics of artificial water bodies. In the mountain basins, a noticeable decrease in the forest areas largely in favor of natural grass communities was caused by the economic activities. It is also shown that the directions of changes and transitions of different types of land covers can differ greatly for different groups of landscapes.