APPLICATION OF GIS-TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE RAPID ASSESSMENT OF AGRO-CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Abstract

The global warming of the 20-21st centuries shows itself in different regions of the Earth, and especially in recent years. In the south of the Central Chernozem region, where Belgorod Region is located, climatic change is most significant for the agricultural sector of the economy. To create a theoretical basis for optimization of agricultural production the climatic change has to be presented in terms of cartographic design.It is recommended to use a wide set of indicators – climate indices for assessment of thermal resources and the character of the territory moistening for the adequate evaluation of the climate change influence on agricultural production.The change of character of the atmospheric circulation in 1998 resulted in the changes of the thermal regime of the summer period such as that disappearance of the first (North) agrometeorological area in Belgorod Region at the beginning of the 21st century, and the appeareance of the third agrometeorological area has been, that was typical earlier for the most southern regions of the country.Changes in the agrometeorological zoning of the region affect the structure of crop areas and allow cultivating of heat-loving plants (grapes, nuts). In particular, in recent years in Belgorod Region soybeans are actively introduced into the crop rotation and horticulture, typical for Belgorod at the frontier of the 19th -20th centuries, is intensified, but with a wider range of species and varieties of the seeded and drupaceous crops. Farming enterprises has successfully begun to develop the melon growing.For testing the variety of new species of plants types and planning crop rotations, the users of agrometeorological information are very interested in data on the moisture availability with respect to the administrative division of the territory. For these purposes the maps of the moisture indicator and bioclimatic potential of the territory with respect to the administrative division were compiled.The application of GIS-technologies allows one in the operative mode to provide the necessary cartographic materials for the authorities and agricultural producers with various time and spatial generalization for making managerial decisions on optimization of regional agricultural complex.

Keywords

• сlimate change
• agroclimatic resources
• hydrothermal regime
• agroclimatic zoning
• bioclimatic potential