Assessment of the Ecological State of Volga-Akhtuba Floodplain Water Bodies Using Remote Sensing Methods

摘要

Ecological condition of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain strongly depends on the set of hydraulic structures (the hydroelectric power station and the reservoirs located on the Volga river) that is an important problem today. The effects of a serious anthropogenic intervention into natural river regime manifest as a decrease in the river's average flow rate and in balance violation of its water bodies' occupancy during the spring flood on the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain territory. This fact indicates the need for multilateral research on a par with continual monitoring of this biosphere reserve and the search for adjustment options of water discharge volumes and terms during the spring flood. We have studied the degree of flooding and the intensity of water bodies' overgrowth with higher plants. Also, the general ecological state of the floodplain was rated. In this article we used cartographic research methods based on remote sensing methods (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS). As a result, we established that floods of the last decade are characterized by insufficient water content of the river. The maximum volume of water discharges and the floods' duration in general trend is decreasing. Class of the "Medium overgrown lakes" (43,4%) prevails among the studied remaining lakes.