Procedure for Remote Assessment of the Characteristics of Unexplored Lakes in the Continental Part of the Russian Tundra

摘要

A procedure has been proposed to assess the hydrophysical and chemical-biological characteristics of unexplored small and medium lakes (with an area of up to 100 km2) in the Arctic territories of Russia using the methods of remote sensing and mathematical modeling. The procedure is based on the use of a one-dimensional model of hydro-thermodynamic and chemical-biological processes in water bodies. The technique makes it possible to obtain an estimate of heat transport between the atmosphere, ice, water, and bottom sediments and the date of ice cover formation, its thickness, and the duration of existence of freeze-up to calculate the temperature profiles of water and bottom sediments and dissolved oxygen by depth based on information on the geographical coordinates and lake surface area. Contact measurements are not required, which is extremely important for hard-to-reach and poorly explored northern territories of our country.