Assessment of landscapes transformed during the development of the Verkhne-Taluminskoye field using remote methods

Abstract

Over the past decade, a significant increase in disturbed natural landscapes has been observed on the territory of the Aldan-Chulmansky coal-bearing region. According to our estimates, the area of the quarry-dumping complex here from 2014 to 2022 increased by 50.4% and reached 89 km2. To assess the latest changes in landscapes in this area, the VerkhneTaluminskoye coal deposit was chosen, on the basis of which in February 2018 coal mining began for the first time on the left bank of the river Chulmakan. To establish landscapes, the study area is zoned according to vegetation, which was determined according to satellite images of the Yandex and Mapbox databases. The areas have been divided into types of terrain as well. Thus, it was determined that the largest areas in the study area of the types of terrain are occupied by gentle slopes 46.2 km2 (52.6%), and plateaus are also common 18.1 km2 (20.6%) with elevations of 920-970 m. The contoured layers (vegetation and terrain types) were merged in QGIS3 software to obtain a landscape map of the Verkhne-Taluminskoye field. Further, a layer with the contours of the coal mine as of 2022 was superimposed on it. As a result, a map of the transformed landscapes of the Verkhne-Taluminsky deposit was developed. Quantitative indicators of landscape change in the study area have been established. The most transformed were kurums (rock glaciers) on slopes of medium steepness and gentle slopes 43.5 and 18.3%, respectively, were transformed, as well as closed 27.9% of forests on slopes of medium steepness were transformed. It was revealed that the slopes of medium steepness (10-30°), as well as kurums are disturbed to the greatest extent.