Comprehensive Remote Sensing and Ground Based Studies of the Dried Aral Sea Bed

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION: INTEGRATED REMOTE SENSING AND GROUND SURVEYS ON THE DRIED BED OF THE ARAL SEA: BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA

2.1. Aral - Current dynamics and recent research

2.2. General description of the territory

2.3. Climate

2.4. Geomorphology

2.4.1. Geomorphological processes on the desiccated sea bed

2.4.2. Relief of the dried coast

2.4.3. Salt accumulation processes in the Aral Sea bed

2.4.4. Landscape changes and emerging ecosystems

2.5. Soils

2.6. Hydrogeology of South Prearalie

2.7. Afforestations for erosion prevention – history and current situation

3. DATA AND METHODS

3.1. Field studies

3.1.1. Objectives and scope

3.1.2. Field study methods

3.1.3. GIS and remote sensing based preparations of the field campaign

3.1.4. Expeditions and routes

3.2. Remote sensing based land cover mapping

3.2.1. Satellite data and required data preprocessing

3.2.2. Unsupervised classification technique

3.2.3. Development of the land cover classification scheme

3.2.4. Supervised classification technique

3.2.5. Erosion risk assignment to the land cover classes

3.3. Satellite based assessment of afforestation measures

4. RESULTS

4.1. Summary of the field data collected

4.1.1. Soil cover of the studied territory

4.1.2. Hydro-geological research results

4.1.3. Vegetation cover (general)

4.1.4. The state of artificial plantations

4.1.5. Impact assessment of the afforestation measures on wind speed and soil erosion

4.2. Remote sensing based landscape assessment

4.2.1. Results of the supervised land cover mapping

4.2.2. Accuracy assessment

4.3. Ecological hazard assessment on basis of the land cover map

4.4. Review of the afforestation measures on the southeastern Aral Sea coast

5. DISCUSSION

5.1. Soil cover dynamics and their effect on the ecological hazard

5.2. Measures for the mitigation of the negative consequences of the Aral Sea desiccation

5.2.1. Wetland restoration in southern Prearalie – Case study Sudochie

5.2.2. Suggested strategy and areas for future afforestation measures

5.3. The future of the Aral Sea

6. CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

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