Earth’s Cryosphere, 2022, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, p. 41-50.
GEOLOGICAL CRYOGENIC PROCESSES AND FORMATIONS
MAPPING OF GIANT AUFEIS FIELDS IN THE NORTHEAST OF RUSSIA
O.M. Makarieva1,2,*, V.R. Alexeev1, A.N. Shikhov3, N.V. Nesterova2,4, A.A. Ostashov4, A.A. Zemlyanskova2,4, A.V. Semakina5
1 Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Merzlotnaya 36, Yakutsk, 677010 Russia
2 St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia
3 Perm State University, ul. Bukireva 15, Perm, 614990 Russia
4 Northeastern Permafrost Station, Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Portovaya 16, Magadan, 685070 Russia
5 Perm Branch of Roslesinforg, ul. Marshrutnaya 14, Perm, 614990 Russia
*Corresponding author; e-mail: omakarieva@yandex.ru
Aufeis fields are widespread in the northeast of Russia and exert a substantial impact on many components of landscapes. The public availability of Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellite data has opened up new opportunities for aufeis mapping. Based on satellite images, we have compiled an up-to-date GIS dataset of aufeis fields and analyzed the long-term and seasonal variability of the largest aufeis in the northeast of Russia. The synthesis of historical (aerial photography obtained in the middle of the 20th century) and modern satellite data on aufeis has been used to prepare a new cartographic product, the Atlas of Giant Aufeis (Taryns) of the Northeast of Russia. In this paper, we consider the approaches to aufeis mapping applied in the Atlas, the main characteristics of aufeis fields based on historical and satellite data. According to Landsat images obtained in 2013–2020, we have delineated 9306 aufeis fields with a total area of 4854.5 km2. Among them, there are 1146 giant aufeis fields of more than 1 km2 in area. For these aufeis fields, we have analyzed long-term and seasonal dynamics of their area based on satellite images obtained for the period from the 1970s to the present. On this basis, a series of image-based maps have been created and included in the Atlas. For most of the giant aufeis fields, no substantial reduction in their area since the 1970s has been found. The largest aufeis in the northeast of Russia is located in the Syuryuktyakh River basin; its area immediately after the snowmelt season is, on average, 14.4 km2 larger than the area of the Bol’shaya Moma aufeis, which was previously considered as the largest aufeis in Russia.
Keywords: aufeis fields, mapping, atlas, Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellite data, aufeis cadaster, GIS database, northeast of Russia
Recommended citation: Makarieva O.M., Alexeev V.R., Shikhov A.N., Nesterova V.V., Ostashov A.A., Zemlyanskova A.A., Semakina A.V., 2022. Mapping of giant aufeis fields in the Northeast of Russia. Earth’s Cryosphere, XXVI (4), 41–50.