ECOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF SOIL ECOSYSTEM DEGRADATION AND EROSION RISKS IN THE KHOTYN UPLAND BASED ON SENTINEL-2 SPECTRAL DATA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/biosystems2026.02.270Keywords:
water erosion, soil degradation, satellite indices, NDVI, agrocenoses, biological screen, microbial biomass, remote sensing, Sentinel-2, Khotyn Upland, Prut-Dniester interfluveAbstract
Soil cover functions as a fundamental component of terrestrial ecosystems; however, intensive agricultural development combined with complex geomorphological conditions causes its rapid degradation. We analyzed the current state, degradation level, and erosion susceptibility of soils in the Khotyn Upland (Chernivtsi region) using Earth remote sensing methods. The Khotyn Upland is characterized by deep erosional dissection, steep slopes, and the presence of loess-like deposits, which create an extremely high natural potential for water erosion development. The study is based on a comparison of Sentinel-2 L2A multispectral satellite images from March 2020 and March 2026 to identify spatiotemporal changes in vegetation cover and the degree of surface bareness. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), and Bare Soil Index (BSI) were calculated, along with specialized composite images that indicatively reflect the state of bare soil during the period of spring snowmelt and early spring precipitation, when the erosion hazard reaches its absolute maximum. The results demonstrate a significant transformation of agricultural landscapes: 2026 satellite data record high fragmentation and the persistence of critically bare soils on steep slopes compared to 2020. Although the overall NDVI on arable lands increased in 2026 due to an anomalously early start of the vegetation season, the areas remaining under bare soil on slopes serve as indicators of increased erosion hazard and probable soil structure destruction. The obtained data confirm that the current land-use system, against the background of global climate change, multiplies sheet wash and humus loss, the intensity of which in the eroded areas of the region reaches 1.8 t/ha per year. The disappearance of the protective biological screen leads to the segregation of soil particles, the destruction of agronomically valuable aggregates, and the loss of organic matter. The article proves the urgent need to implement soil-protective and resource-saving tillage technologies, contour-reclamation farming, and continuous grassing of steep slopes. The proposed approach of utilizing integrated geoinformation models for continuous monitoring of erosion processes will optimize spatial land resource management in the Prut-Dniester interfluve. The research results establish a fundamental scientific basis for developing effective regional strategies for biodiversity conservation and restoring the fertility of degraded landscapes
References
1. Baliuk, S.A., & Tovazhnianskyi, L.L. (Eds.). (2010). Scientific and applied foundations of soil protection from erosion in Ukraine: monograph [Naukovi ta prykladni osnovy zakhystu hruntiv vid erozii v Ukraini: monohrafiia]. NTU «KhPI», 332–338. [in Ukrainian].
2. Budzhak, T. V. (2025). Anthropogenic impact on soil cover degradation in the Khotyn Upland. Scientific Bulletin of Chernivtsi University. Biology (Biological Systems), 17(1), 179-188 https://doi.org/10.31861/biosystems2025.01.179
3. Vitvitskyi, Ya., & Haskevych, V. (2022). Overcompaction of the Dniester upland chernozems under conditions of agrotechnical load [Pereushchilnennia chornozemiv Prydnisterskoi vysochyny v umovakh ahrotekhnichnoho navantazhennia]. The Scientific Issues of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. Series: Geography, 53(2), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.25128/2519-4577.22.2.4. [in Ukrainian].
4. Voloshchuk, M. (2017). Soil degradation as a global ecological problem [Dehradatsiia hruntiv – hlobalna ekolohichna problema]. Visnyk of the Lviv University. Series Geography, 51, 63–70. https://doi.org/10.30970/vgg.2017.51.8738. [in Ukrainian].
5. Korzhyk, V.P., Chorney, I.I., Skilsky, I.V., Budzhak, V.V., Tokariuk, A.I., Nykyrsa, T.D., Smirnov, N.A., Hodovanets, B.Y., Buchko, V.V., & Meleshchuk, L.I. (2012). Khotyn Upland [Khotynska vysochyna]. DrukArt, 336 p. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292972537_Hotinska_visocina_Khotyn_height_in_Ukrainian. [in Ukrainian].
6. Kostiuk, U., & Ridush, B. (2023). Lithological and stratigraphic conditions of karstification of the Miocene sulphate strata of the north-western slopes of the Khotyn Upland (vicinity of the Pohorylivka village) [Litoloho-stratyhrafichni umovy zakarstuvannia sulfatnoi tovshchi miotsenu pivnichno-zakhidnykh skhyliv Khotynskoi vysochyny (okolytsi s. Pohorylivka)]. Scientific Herald of Chernivtsi University: Geography, 845, 88–100. https://doi.org/10.31861/geo.2023.845.88-100. [in Ukrainian].
7. Mysko, K.A. (2016). Advantages of using NDVI in predicting erosion hazard [Perevahy vykorystannia NDVI pry prohnozuvanni eroziinoi nebezpeky]. Journal of Cartography, 16, 192–203. http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/ktvsh_2016_16_19. [in Ukrainian].
8. Sharyi, H.I., Nesterenko, S.V., & Shchepak, V.V. (2020). Organic farming as a tool for soil protection [Orhanichne zemlerobstvo yak instrument okhorony hruntiv]. In Formation of sustainable land use: problems and prospects: collection of scientific works (pp. 74–77). Poltava. [in Ukrainian].
9. Shevchenko, O.V., Pron, O.S., & Chebotarova, I.V. (2024). The impact of climate change on land and agroecosystems degradation [Vplyv klimatychnykh zmin na dehradatsiiu zemel ta ahroekosystem]. Balanced Nature Using, 3, 116–124. https://doi.org/10.33730/2310-4678.3.2024.314921. [in Ukrainian].
10. Achasov, A., Achasova, A., Siedov, A., & Seliverstov, O. (2025). Geoinformation modeling of the risk of water erosion of soils. In XVIII International Scientific Conference “Monitoring of Geological Processes and Ecological Condition of the Environment”. (“18th International Conference Monitoring of Geological Processes and ...”) Kyiv. https://eage.in.ua/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Mon25-015.pdf
11. European Space Agency. (2015–2023). Sentinel-2 MSI – MultiSpectral Instrument data. Copernicus Open Access Hub. https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/
12. Trofymenko, P., Myslyva, T., Bezhodkova, Yu., Trofimenko, N., Lyashenko, D., & Balaev, A. (2023). Assessment on the scale on soil erosion in the agrolandscapes on the Forest-Steppe on Ukraine according to the RUSLE model. (“Assessment on the Scale on Soil Erosion in the Agrolandscapes on the ...”) In XV International Scientific Conference "Monitoring of Geological Processes and Ecological Condition of the Environment". (“18th International Conference Monitoring of Geological Processes and ...”) https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.2023500024
13. Vakhnyak, V., Khomovyi, M., Trach, I., Yavorov, V., & Petryshche, O. (2025). (“Mykhailo Khomovyi”) (“Mykhailo Khomovyi”) The role of restoring degraded soils in ensuring food security in the agro-industrial sector. Scientific Horizons, 28(2), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.48077/scihor2.2025.73
