MAPPING OF THE SYSTEM CATCHMENT BASIN – water body FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS
OF NATURE MANAGEMENT
Vereshchaka T.V., Kurbatova I.E.
E-mail: cartography@miigaik.ru and irenkurb@aqua.laser.ru
The essence of the
research in question consists in working out and developing a cartographic
basis for the catchment concept of nature management. The catchment
basin is considered and displayed on maps as a common geoecological space – “ river – delta – coastal zone – sea” –
rather than a hydrographic element of the geographical envelope. In the
cartographic method of research this approach is new and meets the requirements
of the catchment strategy of water resources management, recognized in the
whole world and which, certainly, is to be supported by map
material.
The methodological
basis for mapping is the concept of a catchment basin (or a river catchment
area) as integrated formation in which there are processes of transit, transformation,
sediments, drainage, formation of water chemistry,
besides, the circulation of many kinds of substances becomes closed here. Slope
and channel flows build up here peculiar geosystems with a high level of
spatial and time organization. Its inclusion in the system of receiving water
bodies (seas, lakes, reservoirs) allows one to estimate their ecological state
and crisis situations in connection with the processes occurring in the catchment
basin. So far, estimation like that has been applied only to extraordinary
situations.
The mapping
reliability is ensured by the fact that the catchment basin is a regional
geosystem that can be easily identified both on maps and in a locality.
Orographic boundaries can exactly be traced on maps, especially topographic and
hypsometric ones.
The levels of
mapping provided by different map scales (ranges of scales), are governed by
the hierarchy of catchment basins that is closely connected to the order of the
rivers, and are comparable
with the levels of ecological problems (global, regional, local).
In mapping, the
catchment basin is not only an optimum
taxonomic unit, but also an
optimum unit of account, that can be used for determining anthropogenic loads
and the influence of natural factors on its ecological state.
The catchment basin
as an integrated natural-and-economic complex needs for multidimensional mapping, including
GIS technologies; here the system “ map design –application of maps” is
realized to the utmost, it connecting closely cartographic methods of terrain
representation and the cartographic research method making it possible to use
either an available map or the map newly created as a database and a means of
obtaining new information.
For characterizing
the catchment area there has been offered a system of maps including the following
thematic blocks: 1) general characteristics
of the catchment basin; 2) surface water, its resources, the natural potential; 3)
ecological framework of a catchment
basin; 4) anthropogenous impacts on the
catchment area nature; 5) seasonal and long-term dynamics of the natural
environment of the catchment area; 6) medical-and-ecological situation; 7) maps of receiving water bodies ( seas, large lakes and
reservoirs); 8) dangerous, crisis and extreme situations; 9) complex
integral maps of the level of acuteness of ecological situations.
Basic themes and
topics have been offered in the contents of each map block. There has been
developed a detailed system of mapping parameters for describing the water resources
as the central part of the catchment basin connected to natural landscapes and
economic activities within the catchment area.
There have been
compiled and designed by the authors original maps in digital and electronic
forms, illustrating the themes of the blocks offered, in order to implement
this theoretical research results. Examples of these maps are given in the
report.
There have been
obtained interpretation results of space images of different types for studying
and mapping seasonal and long-term dynamics, extreme and emergency hydroecological
situations. The interpretation is aimed at solving problems of monitoring water
bodies and their catchment basins.