Mapping of Geochemical Landscapes in the South of Russia (Some Aspects of Practical Implementation)

Abstract

This article analyzes the current state and relevance of using landscape-geochemical mapping. A case study for southern Russia is presented, with a focus on the principles of the geochemical landscape typology, the compilation methodology and the main areas of practical implementation of particular maps. An analysis is made of the major landscape-forming factors for the south of Russia and the methods of their systematics and cartographic presentation. We suggest the matrix legend to the map of geochemical landscapes, visualizing all their diversity as well as modeling landscapes which could exist in the past (or in the future) as a result of the realization of existing combinations of natural and man-made factors. The landscape structure in the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasian Federal District has been analyzed, including assessments of the natural differentiation and specificity of the technogenic transformation of the biosphere. The analysis revealed a high level of anthropogenic transformation of the region so that only 54 of the 232 landscape types as identified at a scale of 1:1 000 000 are natural, and all the others have been to a certain extent transformed by economic activity or created by man. As a result, technogenically transformed landscapes occupy more than 70% of the southern territory of the European part of the Russian Federation, which reduces the region’s ecosystem stability. Suggestions are made on practical implementation of landscape-geochemical mapping in environmental management.