From July 1 to July 10, 2023, scientists from the Institute of Telecommunications and Global Information Space of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine took part in the XXIII International Scientific GeoConference on Earth & Planetary Sciences SGEM 2023, held in Albena, Bulgaria. The research on “Detection of soil disturbance areas as a result of military operations in Ukraine by remote sensing methods” was presented. The research presented in the report was conducted in the period from February 2022 to February 2023 by the scientists of ITGIS of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the authors of the publication are: Director of ITGIS NAS of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of NAS of Ukraine, Professor Oleksandr Trofymchuk; Scientific Secretary of ITGIS NAS of Ukraine, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Senior Researcher Viktoriia Klymenko; Senior Researchers of the Environmental Research Department of ITGIS NAS of Ukraine Viacheslav Vyshniakov, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Natalia Sheviakina, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Snizhana Zagorodnia, Candidate of Technical Sciences.
The conference lasted 7 full academic days and included networking with oral and poster sessions, seminars, and discussions. The conference featured scientific papers by international scientists and researchers from around the world, 199 oral presentations and 90 posters. The conference included 6 main scientific sections:
- Science and Technology in Geology, Exploration and Mining;
- Informatics, geoinformatics and remote sensing;
- Water resources. Forest, marine and ocean ecosystems;
- Energy and clean technologies;
- Ecology, economics, education and legislation;
- Nano, bio, green and space technologies for a sustainable future.
The conference was attended by delegates from 41 countries, namely: Ukraine, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, North Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Moldova, Mozambique, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, USA.
SGEM conference materials are indexed in such scientific databases as Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, ProQuest, etc.
The Scientific Committee of the Earth & Planetary Sciences (EPS) Sector of the SGEM International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference consists of 28 members, who are among the most prominent scientists in their respective fields. All members of the Committee are faculty and visiting professors from universities around the world.
Director of ITGIS NAS of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of NAS of Ukraine, Professor Oleksandr Trofymchuk has been a Member of the Scientific Committee of the Earth & Planetary Sciences (EPS) Sector since 2020, and is the only representative of the Ukrainian scientific community in the field of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Scientists of IITGIS NAS of Ukraine present the results of their research on environmental protection by participating in the International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference SGEM from 2019 to the present twice a year.
In 2022, scientists of ITGIS NAS of Ukraine presented the results of research on the analysis of the environmental impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and participated online at the SGEM International Scientific GeoConference on Earth & Planetary Sciences in Albena, Bulgaria, and in Vienna, Austria, at the SGEM Extended Sessions Vienna Green “Green Science for Green Life”.
The presented results of the study allow for ongoing monitoring of the impact of war crimes; recording the impact on the environment; assessing the damage that the russian army has caused and continues to cause as a result of a full-scale war on the territory of Ukraine. And in the future, this data will be needed for recreational and related additional environmental protection activities.
Since the beginning of the large-scale russian invasion of Ukraine (February 24, 2022), air strikes have been carried out on infrastructure and industrial facilities such as oil refineries, ammonium nitrate warehouses, construction materials plants, phenol and coke plants, etc., leading to large-scale fires and air poisoning with highly hazardous substances. Since February 24, russian troops have been using cluster and phosphorus munitions, which are prohibited by international conventions. Towns and villages have been shelled with rockets. In addition, Russia is waging war on protected areas of international and European importance, destroying the habitats of rare and endemic species. The war unleashed by russia poses a threat to the natural environment of the entire Ukraine. Fire kills animals, beneficial insects and bacteria, and destroys black soil. Millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases from fires are degrading the air we breathe. But nature reserves pose a particular threat. These are areas with a special regime where local flora and fauna, as well as Red Data Book species, are protected and reproduced. Military operations on the territory of these complexes have an irreversible impact on the further development of natural complexes in the region. Since the beginning of the war, 17 national parks, three nature reserves, and three biosphere reserves have been occupied. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, about 900 protected areas are currently occupied or are subject to hostilities. Some areas are gradually being liberated, while others are still under occupation. It is virtually impossible for either government agencies or NGOs to carry out environmental protection activities there.
Based on the research results obtained by the scientists of ITGIS of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the effectiveness of using remote sensing methods for monitoring studies to detect temperature anomalies, fire volumes, and their spread to assess the state of the environment in the affected areas has been proven. Data on fire localization was obtained using the FIRMS service. The authors identified temperature anomalies, fires, and fires for the entire territory of Ukraine. They also created a thematic map of temperature activity by territorial communities in Ukraine. The study identified the most affected regions.
Particular attention was paid to the study of nature reserve complexes, taking into account the value of the protected area. Thus, the objects of the nature reserve fund that are currently under constant impact were identified. Problems exist in many areas of the nature reserve fund, including the Azov-Sivash and Dzharylgach National Nature Parks, the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, the Mezyn National Nature Park, the Yelanetsky Steppe Nature Reserve, etc. One example of an affected nature reserve is the landscape reserve of local importance “Sosnovi Nasazhuvannia” in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.
The territory of one of the affected protected regions of Ukraine, the territory and water area of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, was investigated. As a result of the study, temperature activity points were identified on the territory of the Kinburn Peninsula and near the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve during February, March, April, May and June 2022. In particular, a total of 103 temperature anomalies were detected within the protected area on the territory of the Solonoozery Branch of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve from May 05, 2022 to May 09, 2022. The coordinates of the temperature anomalies were established and the Sentinel-2 satellite image of May 09, 2022 and the Landsat 8-9 L2 satellite image of May 05, 2022 were obtained. As a result of the fire that occurred on May 5-9, 2022, 12 km2 of rare steppe vegetation burned down on the territory of the Solonoozerne branch of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. In total, about 35 km2 of forest was lost in the transboundary zone of the reserve. Relevant thematic maps were created.
Based on the results of participation in the SGEM International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference in 2022, the following abstracts were published:
- Oleksandr Trofymchuk, Vyacheslav Vishnyakov, Natalia Sheviakina, Viktoriia Klymenko, Olha Tomchenko (2022) Detection of thermal anomalies as a result of military actions in Ukraine by remote sensing methods. International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference – SGEM, 2022, 22(2.1), pp. 303-313. DOI:5593/sgem2022/2.1/s10.35
- Oleksandr Trofymchuk, Vyacheslav Vishnyakov, Natalia Sheviakina, Viktoriia Klymenko, Serhii Slastin (2022) Monitoring of fires and assessment of changes in the state of nature-protected territories of Ukraine as a result of military operations. International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference – SGEM, 2022 (2), pp. 369 – 377. DOI 10.5593/sgem2022V/3.2/s14.43
Presented at the XXIII International Scientific GeoConference on Earth & Planetary Sciences SGEM 2023, held on July 1-10, 2023, the publication is a continuation of the research started in 2022 to assess the impact of war on protected areas. The research is focused on determining the state of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve in the period from February 2022 to February 2023. As a result, a total of 1865 temperature anomalies were detected during this time (Fig. 1). The ecological status of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve was assessed as of March 13, 2023 (Fig. 2). As a result, 21,839,970 square meters of disturbed soil surface were found. These are disturbances of the surface soil layer by sinkholes, numerous fortifications (trenches, trenches, dugouts), destruction of buildings, burns, and ruts formed as a result of the active movement of military equipment.
The research team continues the study and is scheduled to participate in the SGEM Extended Sessions Vienna Green “Green Science for Green Life”, which will be held on November 29 – December 1, 2023, Vienna, Austria.
The next XIV International Interdisciplinary Scientific Conference SGEM 2024 will be held from June 29, 2024 to July 08, 2024, Albena, Bulgaria.
The review was prepared by N. Shyavakina
Tags: SGEM 2023
