Risks of Cryogenic Landslide Hazards and Their Impact on Ecosystems in Cold Environments

Presented at 1st International Symposium The Effects of Irrigation and Drainage on Rural and Urban Landscapes IRLA2014, 2014 Nov 26-28. The research focuses on monitoring landscapes downgrading in specific conditions of Arctic ecosystems with cold climate conditions (marshes, permafrost, high humidity and moisture). A specific case study of the current work is cryogenic landslides which are typical for cold environments with permafrost distribution. The research region is located in Yamal Peninsula, north Russia. This work analyses environmental consequences caused by the cryogenic landslides in northern landscapes and overall climate changes affecting sensitive Arctic ecosystems. The thaw of permafrost layer leads to the destruction of the ground soil layer and activates cryogenic landslide processes. After disaster, vegetation coverage needs a long time to recover, due to the sensitivity of the specific northern environment. As a result, land cover types change significantly within the landscapes of the regions affected by the disaster. The application of GIS software was used to analyze and process two satellite images (Landsat TM) taken at different time (1988 and 2011) in order to assess spatiotemporal changes in the land cover types of the Arctic landscapes. This work demonstrates how GIS spatial analysis can be applied to studies of the environmental disasters, as well as monitoring and mapping changes in the landscapes patterns caused by the external factors such as landslide hazards..