REGULARITIES ANALYSIS OF THE LINEAR EROSION DEVELOPMENT IN RIVER BASINS IN THE SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL RUSSIAN HILL WITH THE USE OF GIS

Abstract

Significant areas of the country’s territories are suffering erosion processes due to the increased anthropogenic load. Belgorod region territories are included. This fact makes the reason to the present study for the spatial and temporal patterns analysis of the linear erosion development. The analysis is needed to access the potential territory resistance to the erosion processes within the framework of the basin concept in the South of the Central Russian Upland. The spatial distribution analysis of erosional forms in the study area makes it possible to identify patterns of distribution and assess the possible development of erosion processes. Geoinformation modeling is used to maintain the study in conjunction with natural methods for studying the linear development of the erosion network. During the research, the methods of thematic processing of space images, geospatial analysis, GIS modeling, comparative geographic, the method of analogies, landscape planning, as well as methods of statistical and mathematical data processing were used. The study has revealed the fact, that territories with a high erosion density and a low share of the river density is characterized with the high ravine network density with a low density of ravines. Though, territories with low erosion density and a more developed river network are characterized by a decrease in the ravine network density; territories with a high erosion density are characterized with a weak development of upper link and the predominance of lower link of watercourses in the river network structure. Then, most basins with low ravine network density are significantly dissected in the upper and middle links of the river network. Establishing the regularity of the erosion forms distribution made it possible to assess the territory resistance of the erosion processes, as well as predict and analyze the need for anti-erosion measures.

Keywords

• ravine
• gully
• beams
• agricultural land
• geoinformation systems
• remote sensing