Current state of the components of natural territorial complexes in the Talas river basin (Kazakhstan part)

Abstract

The rational use of land resources in the Kazakhstan part of the Talas River Basin for agricultural purposes under conditions of dynamic climate change requires consideration of all natural factors that shape contemporary natural territorial complexes (NTCs). Remote sensing and field studies of the current NTCs within the study area indicate the complex and variable influence of natural components on their condition. A retrospective assessment based on remote sensing methods reveals a general trend toward deterioration in the ecological state of NTCs as a result of water-resource scarcity, increasing climate aridization, and unsustainable anthropogenic intervention in the form of irrigated agriculture. The scientific and practical significance of the present study lies in assessing the impacts of natural and anthropogenic changes in the constituent components of desert NTCs and in developing measures aimed at mitigating their negative effects on the current state of the basin’s natural territorial complexes. The variability of NTC conditions depends on the state of their individual components; therefore, the aim of the present study is to identify changes in the key components of NTCs. The obtained results show that the current state of the NTCs of the Talas River Basin is shaped by the combined influence of hydroclimatic variability and anthropogenic pressure. The most significant anthropogenic impacts are associated with the withdrawal of river runoff for irrigation and increasing grazing pressure, whereas changes in air temperature, atmospheric precipitation, and river water availability determine the interannual variability of the soil and vegetation cover. The present study addresses the investigation of natural territorial complexes of temperate-zone deserts and identifies the sequence of changes occurring in their natural components, providing a basis for the development of measures for the rational agricultural use of the natural territorial complexes of the Talas River Basin.