ИСТИНА

Due to increasing anthropogenic impacts, pollution, and global climate change in recent years, eutrophication and phytoplankton blooms have affected the ecological condition of Lake Sevan. Remote sensing is by far the most powerful tool for highly detailed spatial and temporal analyses, given its ability to collect data over large areas and the availability of archives of multi-year imagery. Satellite data provides real-time data and helps assess the spatio-temporal characteristics of the lake water area and the entire basin. Analysis of temporal patterns of phytoplankton bloom, which is especially interesting for assessment of the ecological state of Lake Sevan, made it possible to assess changes in the period and peak of the bloom. The spatial and temporal analysis of land use, assessment of anthropogenic impact, and understanding of seasonal features of phytoplankton help identify drivers of ecological changes in the aquatic ecosystems of the lake. The zones of anthropogenic influence on the lake ecosystems were identified on the basis of ultra-high resolution data. Large-scale land use maps were created for the key areas using UAV data. The images were used to single out the general coastal strip development and economic activities, which affect the ecological state of the lakes. Highly detailed data made it possible to identify all types of residential use of the territory, as well as small pockets of anthropogenic influence on coastal landscapes.