Comprehensive soil erosion risk assessment using remote sensing (on the example of Zangilan region)

Abstract

Determining the nature, extent and direction of changes is essential to determine the potential
and future direction of ecosystem expansion. The article used GIS to track changes in the
ecosystem and compare the results. It has been established that some parameters of the
ecosystem have a positive trend, and some parameters have a negative trend. Thus, changes
in the area of forest ecosystems due to negative environmental and anthropogenic impacts
over different years (1990-2022) were compared. Change detection was determined by
remote sensing from satellite images (LANDSAT 4-9 OLI/TIRS C2 L1) within the study area.
The area of optimally developed forests decreased by 84.5% (10,838.05 ha). There has been a
serious degradation of the currently existing forest area in a negative direction. In addition, a
Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was developed based on various geographic parameters
(rain kinetic energy, average annual precipitation, soil erosion coefficient, slope length, slope
steepness, land use/land cover) and erosion prevention methods a corresponding map was
drawn up. The lands of the plains and foothills of the region have undergone all types of
degradation (physical, chemical, biological) as a result of military-technical impact. As a result,
the need to apply these parameters in the implementation of large-scale projects in the
Zangilan administrative region, liberated from occupation, was determined.