Integrated soil monitoring system under conditions of climate change and anthropogenic load: methodology and application results

Abstract

In the context of increasing climatic changes and increasing anthropogenic pressure, the development of effective monitoring systems for soil resources is becoming particularly relevant. This study is devoted to the development and testing of an integrated soil monitoring system that combines traditional and innovative assessment methods. The work is based on a comprehensive analysis of data obtained from 47 monitoring sites located in various soil and climatic zones of Russia in the period 2019-2023. The research methodology includes physico-chemical analysis of soil samples, assessment of microbiological activity, remote sensing and geoinformation modeling using machine learning to integrate heterogeneous data. The results of the study demonstrate significant spatial and temporal variability of soil characteristics, with a pronounced trend towards soil degradation in areas of intensive land use. A statistically significant correlation (r=0.78, p<0.01) has been established between the intensity of climatic changes and the rate of transformation of soil properties. The developed integrated approach made it possible to identify critical thresholds for the stability of soil ecosystems and form a multilevel system of indicators of soil health. The proposed methodology provides an increase in the accuracy of predicting soil conditions by 43% compared to traditional monitoring methods at comparable economic costs.