Next Article in Journal
Numerical Investigation into the Response of a Laterally Loaded Pile in Coastal and Offshore Slopes Considering Scour Effect
Next Article in Special Issue
Comparative Assessment Using Different Topographic Change Detection Algorithms for Gravity Erosion Quantification Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data
Previous Article in Journal
A Study on Enhanced Lipid Accumulation by Cold Plasma Process in Chlorella sp.
Previous Article in Special Issue
Understanding Hydrological Responses to Land Use and Land Cover Change in the Belize River Watershed
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Water
Volume 17
Issue 13
10.3390/w17132031
water-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Uncovering Anthropogenic Changes in Small- and Medium-Sized River Basins of the Southwestern Caspian Sea Watershed: Global Information System and Remote Sensing Analysis Using Satellite Imagery and Geodatabases

by
Vladimir Tabunshchik
1,2,*,
Aleksandra Nikiforova
1,2,
Nastasia Lineva
1,2,
Roman Gorbunov
1,2,
Tatiana Gorbunova
1,2,
Ibragim Kerimov
2,
Abouzar Nasiri
3 and
Cam Nhung Pham
1,2
1
A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, 299011 Sevastopol, Russia
2
Department of Ecology and Environmental Management, Millionshchikov Grozny State Oil Technical University, 364024 Grozny, Russia
3
Firouzabad Higher Education Center, Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz 71557-13876, Iran
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2025, 17(13), 2031; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132031
Submission received: 20 May 2025 / Revised: 26 June 2025 / Accepted: 2 July 2025 / Published: 6 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Remote Sensing and GISs in River Basin Ecosystems)
Browse Figures
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

This study investigates the anthropogenic transformation of small- and medium-sized river basins within the Caspian Sea catchment. The basins of seven rivers—Sunzha, Sulak, Ulluchay, Karachay, Atachay, Haraz, and Gorgan—were selected as key study areas. For both the broader Caspian region, particularly its southwestern sector, and the selected study sites, trends in land cover types were analyzed, natural resource use practices were assessed, and population density dynamics were examined. Furthermore, a range of indices were calculated to quantify the degree of anthropogenic transformation, including the coefficient of anthropogenic transformation, the land degradation index, the urbanity index, the degree of anthropogenic transformation, coefficients of absolute and relative tension of the ecological and economic balance, and the natural protection coefficient. The study was conducted using geoinformation research methods and sets of geodata databases—the global LandScan population density database, the GHS Population Grid database, the ESRI land cover type dynamics database, and OpenStreetMap (OSM) data. The analysis was performed using the geoinformation programs QGIS and ArcGIS, and a large amount of literary and statistical data was additionally analyzed. It is shown that within the studied region, there has been a decrease in the number and density of the population, as a result of which the territories of river basins are experiencing an increasing anthropogenic impact, the woody type of land cover is decreasing, and the agricultural type is increasing. The most anthropogenically transformed river basins are Karachay, Haraz, and Gorgan.
Keywords: Caspian Sea; basin; GIS; anthropogenic transformation; population density; land cover; natural management Caspian Sea; basin; GIS; anthropogenic transformation; population density; land cover; natural management

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Tabunshchik, V.; Nikiforova, A.; Lineva, N.; Gorbunov, R.; Gorbunova, T.; Kerimov, I.; Nasiri, A.; Pham, C.N. Uncovering Anthropogenic Changes in Small- and Medium-Sized River Basins of the Southwestern Caspian Sea Watershed: Global Information System and Remote Sensing Analysis Using Satellite Imagery and Geodatabases. Water 2025, 17, 2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132031

AMA Style

Tabunshchik V, Nikiforova A, Lineva N, Gorbunov R, Gorbunova T, Kerimov I, Nasiri A, Pham CN. Uncovering Anthropogenic Changes in Small- and Medium-Sized River Basins of the Southwestern Caspian Sea Watershed: Global Information System and Remote Sensing Analysis Using Satellite Imagery and Geodatabases. Water. 2025; 17(13):2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132031

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tabunshchik, Vladimir, Aleksandra Nikiforova, Nastasia Lineva, Roman Gorbunov, Tatiana Gorbunova, Ibragim Kerimov, Abouzar Nasiri, and Cam Nhung Pham. 2025. "Uncovering Anthropogenic Changes in Small- and Medium-Sized River Basins of the Southwestern Caspian Sea Watershed: Global Information System and Remote Sensing Analysis Using Satellite Imagery and Geodatabases" Water 17, no. 13: 2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132031

APA Style

Tabunshchik, V., Nikiforova, A., Lineva, N., Gorbunov, R., Gorbunova, T., Kerimov, I., Nasiri, A., & Pham, C. N. (2025). Uncovering Anthropogenic Changes in Small- and Medium-Sized River Basins of the Southwestern Caspian Sea Watershed: Global Information System and Remote Sensing Analysis Using Satellite Imagery and Geodatabases. Water, 17(13), 2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132031

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop