Analysis of the Role of Topography in the Spatial Differentiation of Landscapes Using Geoinformation and Statistical Methods

Abstract

This article considers the patterns of correlations between the topography and spatial organization of the landscapes of two hierarchic levels (stows and groups of stows). A number of basic topographic parameters that are most significant for landscapes are obtained according to the digital elevation model of the basin of a minor river using geoinformation methods. The correlations are revealed using discriminant analysis. The greatest contribution to the discrimination of landscape units is made by the elevation. The directional slope is more significant for the discrimination of stows, while the standard deviation of slope is more significant for the discrimination of groups of stows. The latter parameter in combination with the profile curvature, as well as the wetness index, are significant for extracting valley geosystems. The same method was used to analyze the air temperature during the vegetation period as a factor that differentiates the conditions of the location of landscape units. The valley geosystems are grouped as colder ones, while the pyrogenic site is grouped as that with the highest amplitude of temperatures.