Application of the Google Earth Engine platform for the study of agricultural landscape conditions
Abstract
The unprecedented degradation of Ukraine's soil cover as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation is complicated by long-term processes of water and wind erosion. Traditional methods of surveying territories are currently limited due to mine danger, which makes remote sensing of the Earth a key tool for environmental assessment.
Purpose. Practical use of Google Earth Engine to assess the impact of soil erodibility and heavy metal contamination on the state of vegetation.
Methods. The study is based on a phytoindication approach using multispectral data from the Sentinel-2 satellite.
Results. Experimental studies were carried out during 2024-2025 on the basis of two representative test sites located within the Rohansk territorial community (Kharkiv district, Kharkiv region). To assess the state of vegetation (using the example of sunflower), the vegetation indices NDVI and NDRE were used. Processing of large data sets was carried out automatically in the GEE environment on the basis of two test sites in the Kharkiv region. At site No. 1, a comparative retrospective analysis of zones of potential heavy metal contamination (due to bomb disturbance) and background areas was conducted. It was established that phytoindication anomalies may have a natural origin, which emphasizes the importance of comparison with pre-war indicators for a correct assessment of war damage. At site No. 2, a clear correlation was found between the degree of erosion of black soils and the values of the NDRE index: the loss of every 10 cm of the soil genetic profile correlates with a decrease in the index by 0.01 units. The total crop loss due to erosion was calculated, which for the experimental site amounted to over 650 c.
Conclusions. The high efficiency of the NDRE index as an indicator of chlorophyll content in the late stages of vegetation has been proven. The results confirm that the integration of GIS technologies and satellite monitoring is an alternative basis for developing post-war land remediation strategies and implementing precision agriculture systems.
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References
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